Jack and Jill 3
by djinni14
Summary: It is not required that you read either of the previous two stories in this series. This is a stand alone story for you to enjoy. Hopefully. :) NOW COMPLETE
1. Chapter 1

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 1_

Kate was packing for the trip. She was having a little difficulty deciding just what to take. Oh, she knew she needed a swimsuit, clothes, makeup, her feminine products, even a little emergency medical kit. It was some of the clothes she was having trouble with along with which of her swimsuits to bring.

She'd read the brochure Rick had given her and it had talked about the fact that there would be a formal dinner. Basically a black tie event requiring one of her better dresses. But she didn't have any dresses that were all that fancy. She didn't have a need for them. Especially when money was so tight since her mother had died.

That was when she broke down and called her best friend. It wasn't that she would have a dress that would fit her since she clearly wasn't the same size as she was. However, she could be a good sounding board over just what to take.

Jim answered the door. "Hi, Mr. Beckett. I got an emergency call from Kate," Lanie told him.

Jim shook his head. "She's in her room packing." He didn't see how there could be an emergency. It was just a date for Christ's sake. He had never really understood what his wife had seen in looking perfect. Whatever it was that had driven her had obviously infected their daughter.

"Thanks." Lanie knew just where to go and found Kate with an open suitcase that had a few things in it. Most everything else she owned looked to be spread out all over the bed.

"So what's the emergency?" Lanie called out and saw Kate coming out of her personal bathroom with her hands full.

"Lanie! I really need your help." Kate dropped what she was carrying into her suitcase.

"Unless you plan on going naked I would say so." She had bras, panties, a few pairs of socks, and even a tie, but not a whole lot of anything else when it came to clothes.

"Funny." Kate rolled her eyes; she was not amused. "It says there'll be a formal dinner and I don't have anything to wear. I've never had any need for something that fancy." Now she did, though.

"And when did Rick give you the brochure telling you this?" Lanie asked although she already knew the answer. She was just not above rubbing it in.

Annoyed, Kate made a face at her. "Just help me, okay?" This trip had been planned three months ago and she'd shown the brochure to Lanie because she was so excited about it. At the time she and Rick had only been dating for about three months. Meaning six months now. So not having the required dress was her own fault.

"So show me what you've got." Maybe Kate had gotten something new that she didn't know anything about but she doubted it.

Kate grabbed something off the bed and held it up in front of her, only to see Lanie scrunch her face up and shake her head. That got dropped back on the bed; she picked up another one and held it up for her to see.

"Definitely not!" Why did she even own that thing? Kate dropped it and picked up the next one, followed by the next, then the next, and the next.

Lanie had shot down everything she owned. "There isn't anything else." There literally wasn't anything else that was remotely nice enough. Her life wasn't about looking that beautiful. She still wasn't sure what Rick saw in her but he obviously saw something and she wanted to be worthy.

"I'm doomed!" Kate sat on her bed, dejected.

"Maybe you can skip that part of the trip. What swimsuits are you taking?" Lanie knew it had not just one pool but three of them along with eight hot tub Jacuzzis.

Kate searched for her lone one piece and held it up. "What are you? Your mother? Make that your grandmother! Show some skin, girl. You want him to like you, right?" Lanie rejected that suit.

"Have you two even had sex yet?" She had met Rick and if she had found him she would be fucking his brains out daily.

"Lanie!" Kate didn't want a one-night stand. They'd been on at least a dozen dates and had even done some kissing. She was beginning to think he might actually be the one. Goodness knows his standing in the world was better than hers. It was the one main reason why she questioned why he was dating HER!

Lanie held up her hands. "Fine, fine. But if you keep him guessing as to whether you're interested or not he's just going to find someone else. Or do you _want_ him to dump you?" Much like Kate was thinking, Lanie wasn't sure just why Rick was dating below his class. But he was and if Kate wanted to keep him she was going to have to put out eventually.

"Now show me the bikinis and stop moaning at me." Lanie waited for the first one.

"Nice, what else?" Lanie approved of the first one and shook her head at the second. "You're 19, girl, not a sweet 16 teenager. Where are the sexy suits?" Surely she had something that was a little risqué?

Tentatively Kate picked up the one that she'd recently bought with Rick in mind. It really wasn't something she wasn't comfortable with.

"NOW WE'RE TALKING!" Lanie liked this one a lot.

Kate had been afraid she would like this one. It had a thong bottom that exposed pretty much her entire ass. Hell, even the front was tiny and going to require that she shave off every hair she had down _there._ The top wasn't much better. The main reason she'd bought this one was because of the colors.

"You don't think it's too–"

Lanie stopped her right there. "It's perfect! You're going to make his eyes pop right out of his head," she said gleefully. Then there was a knock at her bedroom door and Kate quickly hid it behind her back.

Jim had something for her and while he wasn't sure why Rick liked his daughter either, he wanted the best for her so he'd done it.

"Dad?" Why was he here? She didn't need his help choosing what to pack.

"I read the brochure too, Katie, and it talked about an event that I thought you might need some help with." Jim shifted the box he was holding behind his back to the front so she and Lanie could see it. "This was your mother's. She wasn't your size, though she was close. You two are so much alike. I had it altered for you just for this trip. I thought you might like it." Jim wasn't sure. Talking about his wife, her mother, was painful for both of them.

Kate stepped over to him and took the box. "Thanks, Dad." She didn't know what else to say. The offer told her a lot.

"I'll leave you two to decide. Take it or leave it behind. …I'll, ah, be out there," he pointed and retreated from her room, praying he'd done the right thing.

Kate was still holding the box and looking at it. "Well open it, girl. Let's see it." Lanie was dying to see what her dad had arranged.

With no small amount of trepidation Kate set the box on her bed on top of her other clothes and slowly opened it.

This was her mother's and her clothes had been off limits since her death. That her dad had kept all of them wasn't the surprise. That he had taken one and had it altered so it would fit her was really big.

"OH, MY!" Kate barely recognized it as she carefully lifted it out. She held it close to her and turned so Lanie could see it. If Lanie liked it, it just might work.

The elegant gown was scoop-necked and sleeveless. Its lines skimmed her body and fell straight to her calves, ending in graceful scallops. It had a drop waist accented by a spiral motif done in rose-colored bugle beads. The entire gown was a sheer silk black netting with hand-applied sliver and rose bugle beads and a background pattern consisting both of scattered sequins and black seed beads. Worn beneath it was a short silk slip dress in nude. It was one of the most lovely things Kate had ever seen.

"I've never seen anything like it. That looks really old, but it's very, very nice, Kate. I think you've found your dress. With that and that bikini Rick's going to faint for sure. You might have to give him mouth-to-mouth," Lanie teased since sex was still on her mind.

Kate began to remember what her mother had told her about this dress. Kate had found it in her closet and had asked her about it when she was younger, so she knew its history.

"What do I wear under the slip dress?" Kate wasn't sure she had all that much for this dress.

"Absolutely nothing," Lanie answered without hesitation. It was a no-brainer as far as she was concerned. Kate stared at her like she'd lost her mind. "It's the only way, Kate, and don't even start to tell me that you're not interested in teasing him, knowing that you're naked under that while Rick's left to question if you are or not. You'll drive him mad." Lanie loved it.

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Lanie hugged Kate at the front door. Kate was all packed for the trip that started tomorrow and she was really happy for her. Kate deserved this trip and she really wanted for Kate to do all she could to keep him.

"Remember, girlfriend, have fun. Maybe a whole lot of fun." Lanie winked at her and smiled wickedly. Of course Kate didn't miss the intended reference to sex. Lanie was rather stuck on that topic.

"I'll try." Kate wasn't willing to commit to having sex quite yet, but she did want to have fun on their trip. There was no way she could afford it. She didn't even know what the room looked like. Rick wasn't telling. He said he wanted it to be a surprise; she hated surprises so the room had her worried. What if it had just the one bed and they had to share it? It was the reason she had included something she called pajamas. Lanie had tried to talk her out of them but she had kept them in her suitcase.

"I'm not sleeping naked in the same bed with him, Lanie!" That was out and not going to happen. However, she did want to sleep in the same room with him, just in a different bed.

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Kate took the subway to a train station. Once there she looked around for where the next train was located. She had only been there once and like last time it was busy with people a lot like her.

Thanks to Rick she had a ticket and had no trouble getting on her train. She had a seat all to herself that looked wide enough for two people. Then to her surprise a man came by to take her drink order. She was pretty sure he meant alcohol but she chose a soda instead.

It was a bullet train that was going to take two hours to reach her destination. When he gave her the soda and a glass with ice, he also handed her a card showing what food choices were available. She was shocked to learn that they were going to feed her. This was something she'd never done before. She settled on the sandwich box.

Not long later the same man walked to her and then past her as he dropped off what she had ordered. It was a plain white box. Inside she found her sandwich of choice, chips, an apple, a cookie, and even a napkin. There were also condiments to enhance her sandwich since it came bald. Everything was nicely chilled.

She wasn't done with her sandwich yet when he was back to ask if she wanted another soda. He even knew what she had ordered the first time.

Later he came back to take it all away. She stopped him to ask a question. "When do we get there?"

"Another 30 minutes," he replied then hurried away with the trash since he had other things to do before they arrived.

Kate retrieved her bag that had been stored behind her and started looking around. This space station was even busier than the bullet train station. It was also far more beautiful. She checked her ticket and started looking for her gate.

Here there were people using bots to tote all their luggage. She was the only person dragging her suitcase behind her. It did at least have wheels on it, but she felt way out of place.

B26 turned out to be very far away and she walked for what felt like forever. Along the way were shops that sold all kinds of things. "B2! …I'm dying here." She shook her head but kept walking.

When she reached B26 she found people all over the place yet there was only one person in line so she got behind him and waited.

Her turn came and she handed over her ticket. "Solar Sea. The next shuttle is in approximately 15 minutes. You enter through the gate that's behind me. There's no assigned seating so you can either take a seat and wait or get in line."

The woman wasn't being curt by any means. It was just that she saw the general public all day long. Day after day and Kate was just another body.

Kate chose to get in line and was third in line.

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It was a basic shuttle that maybe held 24 people. Only half of them had seats, the rest had to stand. Kate chose to stand and soon found the shuttle totally full. Now it felt more like the subway trains she was used to. Save for the fact that half the people on it had droids carrying bags.

Third on meant almost the last one off. Which meant she had to get in line. There hadn't been any windows so she hadn't seen anything. She just knew that they were in orbit.

Finally it was her turn to see an agent. Kate handed over her ticket and her identification. "Solar Seas, room number 18, deck 17. Your room is at the very forward of the ship. Through those doors and then down the ramp. Once on board they'll want to see this card which is also your room key. Every time you exit the ship you'll need to take your room key with you as well as your photo identification. Without both you will _not_ be allowed back onboard.

"There's a mandatory evacuation drill. An announcement will be made for it. If you haven't already purchased your excursions you can do that onboard. Just be warned that if you wait too long the one you want might be sold out.

"You'll find a map of the ship in your room. You'll also receive a daily routine at your door. Your bag will be delivered to your room. You're free to take your carry-on with you if you wish or you can have it delivered as well." Kate watched as her bag disappeared. She chose to keep the smaller bag she was carrying.

Then a man took her room card and scanned it. There were actually two of them so it sped everything up. She was a little unnerved to see a heavily armed guard just beyond both of them. She also saw the screen that took a picture of her and then did a security scan. When it turned green she was allowed into the ship.

First up was a foyer that had 6 transit pod stations. She wanted deck 17 Forward so she selected that button and waited.

It took her to a central area where she had to begin walking to get to the very front of the ship.

The door was beige and it said Sky Loft Suite 18 Deck 17. A scan of her card and the door opened for her. Just inside to her left she saw a bathroom. However what she saw in front of her had her sucking in a breath. "HOLY SHIT!" She saw a set of stairs with a navy blue runner on her right. In the distance right in front of her was a wall of windows that was two floors tall.

Against the wall of the bathroom was a work desk that held two chairs. It was there that she saw a folder that, once opened, showed her the floor plan and today's itinerary. There was also information on all of the restaurants and bars on the ship. In addition there was a list of what was going to happen each day. Meaning was it a sailing day or were they going to be stopping at a planet?

There was a chocolate sectional sofa on the left side. On the right was a coffee dispenser, hot water dispenser, and a mini refrigerator. On the wall behind this was the TV.

Kate saw blackout drapes that were presently open. Being open revealed a sheer white set of drapes that allowed the light to enter. There was even a door. "But we're in space!" How could there possibly be a door? The windows alone were dangerous enough as it was. Pulling the drapes to one side exposed the door for her to open.

Stepping through the door she found a small table with two chairs and another wall of windows. On the table was a notification. The windows were automatically dimming. The glass was actually transparent steel and very strong. She could sit with a cup of coffee and look out into space when they weren't going Faster Than Light since being in FTL there wasn't anything to see.

Next Kate went up the stairs to a loft area. She saw a wall of glass that had the same sheer white drapes as the main windows.

Up there she found there was just the one bed. "Guess that answers that." It was huge, though. She had seen large beds before but this one was even bigger.

The room was barely wide enough for the bed. One wall was short and behind it she found a closet for her clothes and another bathroom that she was sure was directly over the one below.

The floors here looked like wood but didn't feel like wood. They were really dark.

Rick had warned her that he would be late so for now she was on her own. Since all she had was her carry-on bag she started unpacking it after choosing a drawer for her things.

Inside the bathroom she put some of her more personal items. On a shelf she found shampoo, conditioner, and soap as well as a set of glasses. The sink was small; the shower could only accommodate one person at a time and the toilet looked...odd. Still it was functional.

Going back to the stairs she looked down and out. The entire place was almost as big as the apartment she shared with her father. The only thing missing was the kitchen and a dining room table. All of the food was supplied as part of the cruise and she was worried that she was going to gain weight on this trip.

Since she had to wait for Rick to arrive, she decided to start exploring. She had entered on Deck 4 that was only for entering and exiting from the ship when it was docked at a port. If the planet didn't have an orbiting port then they used a shuttle service that she still had to find.

There were 3 swimming pools, a theater room, library, exercise room, spa, observation rooms, restaurants, bars, casino, communications lounge, show lounge, main dining room, buffet area, sports area, and three whole decks of shops where she could buy stuff. Not to mention the shore excursion desk, security desk, photo room, and help desk.

There was a lot to see! This was a ship that Kate had been certain she was never, ever going to set foot on. The fact that Rick had asked her to come was such a surprise. And that was on top of the surprise that he was even asking her, Kate Beckett. Miss Nobody.


	2. Chapter 2

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 2_

Rick was angry. Okay, that wasn't really correct, he was furious. He had even considered bringing a weapon with him so he could at least shoot her, if not out and out kill her. He was that angry.

He had considered himself lucky. Few publishing houses still existed since literally anyone could put a book they had written up so people could read it after paying a fee. They would download it onto their device of choice – there were a lot of those as well – and read at their pleasure.

This company did that, yes, but they also did something that was almost unheard of these days. They actually printed books that people could buy and hold in their hands. Literally open the cover, turn the pages, and maybe, just maybe, risk a paper cut, heaven forbid.

They advertised themselves as doing things old school. Granted most of what was sold was downloaded the normal way, but a portion of what they sold – albeit very small portion – were real paper books.

Because of this old school approach they also did something that just wasn't done any longer. They had the authors show up at various book stores and other venues for the public to meet and actually talk with and get a real autograph.

Today Rick was pissed off beyond words for two reasons and Gina was about to either be fired, have her ears removed, or her ass removed. Right now it all depended on what she had to say for herself.

He really did like the idea of the company itself. To actually feel and read from a real book had an appeal. He presently was a known author and dropping Black Pawn after his contract was up was an option that was available to him. If Gina was going to be a bitch he'd be gone the first chance he got.

"Good afternoon, Mister Castle." The receptionist recognized him instantly. She also watched him start to walk past her without so much as a hello. "Mister Castle?" He needed to stop. Rose thought she was a good judge of character and he looked angry. Lord knows she had seen that look on Gina's face ever since she'd started there. "Mister Castle!" She began to scramble out of her chair and chase him down.

Rick knew where Gina's office was so he went straight there. The receptionist wasn't going to stop him. He was beyond angry and Gina was going to get dumped on.

He opened the door and saw her sitting behind her desk. She also seemed to be concentrating on something, not that he cared. "GINA!" He was ready. Gina simply held up a finger and then started talking.

Rick figured out that she was on her communication system and talking to someone. "_**NOW**__**, **_ GINA! THIS IS YOUR LAST CHANCE!" He would walk out and Gina could find out that their contract was not being renewed the hard way.

"I'll get back to you. …What _is_ your problem, Rick? That was an important call!" Meaning important to her.

"Like I give a shit! You scheduled me for a signing." That was one problem.

"Yes, they had an opening so I took it. Your contract says you will attend these so you need to show up." Gina didn't see what the issue was.

"Except I'm going on a cruise starting tomorrow that will last 11 nights," he reminded her tersely. "You knew about it. I sent notification to you, signature required. So you're just going to have to cancel."

"With that low life, yes, I know. You're just going to have to cancel your trip. This is more important and is part of your contract." She didn't see what he saw in that girl. She wasn't even a woman, let alone good for him.

"Watch your mouth, Gina. This trip was planned and ignoring it is your problem, not mine." He put his foot down. "Starting tomorrow I'm going to be gone for 12 days and that is not up for discussion. It's not changing."

"You'll be in violation of your contract, Rick. Black Pawn will sue you." Gina had no intention of backing down. Besides she was doing him a favor. Maybe this would force him to break up with that little nobody.

"I've read my contract, _Ms. Cowell__._ It clearly states that I need to be available and since I will _not_ even be here I'm not in violation. You were informed that I wasn't going to be available so I have a paper trail showing that you know.

"While we're on the subject I also noticed that you went ahead with the playboy image that you dreamed up. And that I. Turned. Down. That was also in writing so you know that I shot that idea down. So put an end to it," Rick ordered coldly.

"Too late," she replied smugly. "Everything about that decision has already gone out. Changing it or canceling it will cost money." She meant Black Pawn's money, not his.

"So you're acknowledging that you're ignoring all the decisions I've made on the publicity exposure you've made. Do I understand that correctly?" Rick asked.

"All of this will help with your sales, Rick. You know real paper books aren't popular. We need to do everything we can to help sell your books. These decisions are in your best interests." Not just as an author but as a person.

"So that's a yes." Rick then showed her his recording device. It was tiny and in plain sight. "My lawyer will contact your lawyer about you scheduling an event when you knew I wasn't going to be here. He's also going to explain to your lawyer why I will _not_ be renewing our contract when this one ends." He didn't even see a look of surprise on her face. "In case that went over your head, you're fired." Rick spun around and walked toward her door.

"You're making a mistake! This will be the last book you ever publish." Rick didn't stop even though she wasn't done yet. He needed to understand that continuing to see that bitch girl was going to be the biggest mistake he'd ever made.

She got up from behind her desk and was actually running after him. It was demeaning and she was going to make sure he paid for his actions. He must be fast since he was already out of the office and when she reached the door she saw him stepping into a transit pod. "RICK!" Then his pod doors closed and he was gone. "DAMN IT!" Now she was going to make him pay twice. She charged back to her office so she could pack her bag and take a pod to where he lived. She had to stop him!

Losing Rick might not ruin Black Pawn completely but the company was going to take a huge hit. She might even lose her job since Rick was her boy. Well, man, really. She even had dreams of making him her husband, but that was in the future. Especially after all the other women worked out that he would cheat on them after marrying them. All because of her.

"Hold all my calls. I may not be back until tomorrow," Gina told Rose.

"You have a meeting with Victor at 7:00 pm, ma'am." Gina had made the appointment herself. It was with the owner of Black Pawn. She had wanted to go over all of their authors and how to handle all of them. Meaning she wanted to talk with him about Rick. It was the only time he was available so she had agreed to the really late meeting.

That stopped Gina in her tracks. A quick look at her watch showed her she had three hours. She quickly decided it was more than enough time. "I'll be back. If he calls simply tell him I had an emergency and that I'll be back in time for our meeting." Gina left without waiting for Rose to acknowledge the order.

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Rick was home and just needed to grab his suitcases. The ship didn't leave until tomorrow morning, but the schedules of the various shuttles he needed to take to reach it meant he needed to start tonight. It was going to leave at 6:00 am and his scheduling had told him he would be taking the next to last shuttle. So if he missed this one he had one more chance.

This trip was his idea and he was paying for all of it. He really wanted to spend the next several days with Kate. He was truly learning to care her. She wasn't uneducated even if she presently didn't have a job. There may be people who thought she wasn't good for him but he thought she was.

Stepping into his apartment, he found his mother in the kitchen. She was going to watch over his place while he was gone. "Into the alcohol already, Mother?" Rick didn't mind. Mostly his mother loved wine and not the hard stuff. However, she had an addiction to the expensive wines, and other things, that only he could afford.

"It's late in the day, Richard, and I don't see you drinking it." Martha knew he bought it only for her. He liked harder alcohol, not that he drank all that much, either.

"That and the place is all yours. I just need to grab my bags and I'm gone." Rick headed for his bedroom and didn't notice that Martha had followed him until she said something.

"She's a pretty young lady, Richard. Are you sure she's comfortable with this?" Martha meant the cruise. All of their other dates she had the choice to go home and be alone. Now she was going to be stuck with him for days. Even sleeping in the same bed. She had seen the ship, what was on it, and even the room he had secured for them. There were better suites but it was a big one. Still it only had the one bed, even if the sectional could be pulled out into a double bed if necessary.

"Yes, Mother, Kate's fine. She should even already be there and investigating the ship." He knew he would be if it was him. It was a big ship and held 6,000 passengers plus however many crew members.

Martha was still going to worry. It was her motherly prerogative. "Just be gentle, Richard. Don't push her into anything." Martha knew her son or thought she did. She didn't know for a fact if they were sexually active or not. Though spending the next several days in the same bed might lead them to it.

"Are you taking protection?" Martha wasn't bashful when it came to her son.

"MOTHER!" Was she really talking about what he thought she was?

"She's only 19, son, and doesn't need to be pregnant this early in life. I didn't raise you to be that kind of man." Martha may not have been rich, either, much like Kate and her family, but that didn't stop her from teaching her son how to treat women properly.

"Yes, Mother. I have a stem that is good for another nine months and I'm taking other protection as a backup. You can stop worrying." Rick was a little shocked but not angry.

"I'm your mother, it's my job to worry. Forgive me if I worry until I can't any more. I think it's in my job description." Martha wasn't upset either and was actually smiling.

"Well that won't be stopping for a long time." Rick picked up both of his suitcases and was ready to leave. "My ride should be here by now." He took his bags to the front door and dropped them.

"Don't worry, Mother, this is going to be the trip of a lifetime. We have shore excursions at each and every stop. Places neither of us are likely to ever see again. At least not in person." Rick wrapped his arms around her and hugged her tight.

"I'll be here when you get back, Richard, and your apartment's perfectly safe. Your wine supply, not so much," Martha joked to lighten the mood.

"The kitchen's full of food if you decide to try cooking. There's emergency money hidden in the freezer that you'll have to thaw if you need it. That includes money for a shopping trip that I know you'll take." Rick knew his mother well. "Maybe you can check in on Kate's dad once. He might be just as worried as you are."

"I'll do that. Just take care of yourself and Katherine and remember to have fun." Martha hugged him again for good measure and watched him leave. Once he was gone she headed for the freezer to search for that money. After finding it and putting one frozen block of ice in the sink to thaw she went back to the wine.

Eleven nights in her son's expensive apartment. He might be on vacation but now so was she.

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"Henry!" Rick shook his lawyer's hand with enthusiasm.

"Rick, what brings you here? You said it was an emergency. I thought we had already talked about tomorrow's trip." Rick had made sure that if something happened his mother was well taken care of and that also meant handling the money with care.

"Here, listen to this." He handed over the chip that held his conversation with Gina.

Henry listened and didn't say a word until it ended. "Wow." He was no fool, he understood the implications. "What do you want to do?" Rick was in charge; all he could do was advise him of what was and what wasn't possible.

Rick began to explain what he wanted. "This book is Black Pawn's last book. Gina's fired. I need you to put something together that makes it permanent. Give me something to sign before I leave and send it to Black Pawn. You can flesh it out after I'm gone. We can start a search for their replacement after I'm back."

"Black Pawn is the only company I know of that still does real books. I can start another search for someone like them but don't hold your breath. It might mean less money for you," Henry warned.

"I'm aware of that. However, so far I still have most of my money. Unless my mother decides to spend it all while I'm gone." Rick chuckled a little since he hadn't left her all that much.

"Let me get to work and I'll have something for you shortly, then you can go catch your ship and spend some time with your girl." Henry wasn't Gina. He liked Kate.

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Rick was satisfied with what Henry had so he went ahead and signed it. Right now he was waiting in line for his first train. Like Kate, he was taking trains to each stop before taking a shuttle up to orbit and then walking across and getting aboard the ship.

He was really looking forward to this trip. Eleven straight days with Kate was going to tell both of them if they had a future together. He had done his very best not to push her into anything. He'd even restrained himself when sitting side by side and kissing had turned into something more like necking. With roaming hands going various places.

He had left her with a hard as stone erection that had him rushing home to take care of himself. Kate had asked him to stop and he had. She'd been sorry and apologetic. But he told her not to be sorry. That she was worth waiting for and they would do only what she was ready for.

Kate had even kissed him soundly at the door on his way out. They'd had only had a few dates since then and she had agreed to this trip right after that heavy petting session. That and she hadn't backed out so he was hoping that she was presently onboard.

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Rick went through what Kate already had and was soon standing outside a door that said Sky Loft Suite 18, deck 17. It was an ordinary-looking door which had him wondering. Yes, he'd seen the pictures and while it wasn't overly amazing, it was easily three times the size of a normal stateroom.

The room looked empty though that didn't stop him from looking around the room they would be spending time in together. Then finally he went upstairs. Up there he saw a suitcase and a small carry-on bag. "Kate's here!" He was tempted to do a victory dance. She'd said yes and was actually here! Though if she wasn't here she could be anywhere and finding her by accident was likely doomed to failure. So he spent some time unpacking and saw that she had taken over a section of the closet and one of the drawers with her clothes. Rick took up the rest of the closet and filled a drawer of his own.

While his chances were slim that he would find her, he still wanted to look over the ship for himself. Before the mandatory evacuation drill.

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Martha was watching the oven, or more precisely, she was watching the timer. Her son may not think she knew how to cook but she was going to show him. The fact that he wasn't there to see it wasn't important.

She ignored the knocking on the front door. She needed just a few more minutes. Focused on her task she ignored the knocking on the front door. Just three more minutes. Then the knocking turned into pounding.

Martha grumbled but went to the front door and opened it. "Gina? What do you want?" Richard wasn't home and she didn't have anything to do with this woman.

"Where's Rick?" Gina went around her and into the apartment.

"Richard isn't here." Martha closed the door, walked past Gina, and back to her oven. She arrived just as the timer went off. So she turned off the timer and then turned off the oven.

Then she grabbed a pair of hot pads, opened the oven, and pulled out her pan. It actually looked perfect to her. Now she needed somewhere to set it.

"Where is he?" Gina demanded as she came marching out of his bedroom that was now Martha's bedroom.

Martha set the pan on the sink. She opened a drawer for another hot pad, placed it on the counter top, and moved her pan onto that. It looked perfect. While it cooled she would start work on a green salad and maybe warm up something in a pan.

"MARTHA!" She was ignoring her and that was really pissing her off.

"What?" Martha's mind was on her meal that was almost ready.

"Rick! Where is he?" Gina really needed to know. She needed to stop Rick from doing something stupid.

"Richard is on vacation with his girlfriend. Katherine's such a lovely young lady. And so very nice. I have high hopes for those two." Rick had invited her over to his place and she'd shown up by accident a couple of times. It had allowed Martha some time with her.

"DAMN IT!" She might be too late. "Where's he going?" Maybe she could still stop him. "MARTHA! WHERE!?" The older woman wasn't paying any attention to her; she was worth far more than that girl Rick was interested in.

"SPACE! He's in space." Martha continued to ignore her and worked on completing her dinner. It was going to be perfect. She was going to have a story to tell him when he got back.

"Space." Gina's entire body sagged in defeat. She was too late. She was going to have to wait until he got back. She had no idea that Rick's lawyer was busy ending Rick's relationship with Black Pawn and her at that very moment.

Then Gina got a determined look on her face. The book he'd recently finished as part of the contract was already in their hands. He simply had to complete the one signing engagement. Their next contract was already underway inside Black Pawn for them to present to Rick. All he had to do was sign it. He'd leave Black Pawn, and more importantly _her,_ over her dead body!


	3. Chapter 3

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 3_

The ship had 18 decks, though to be honest deck 18 was tiny and only had about 20 or so guest cabins. Nonetheless 6,000 people all trapped in one place was a lot. Thankfully there were myriad places for all of them to go. Not that all of the bars were open all the time, nor were there shows all day long. Still there were things to keep people busy.

Rick had been right, it turned out. While he was walking around and trying to get the feeling for the ship as well as how to get back to their room he learned first hand just how big this ship really was. Thankfully their room was as far forward as anyone was going to get, at least on this level. So finding his way back was easy.

Unlocking the door and going inside revealed that Kate was back as well. Not only that but she had the glass door open and was standing at the wall of windows looking out into space. With just a little effort you could actually see their planet.

Rick announced himself and tried not to scare her by sneaking up on her. "Hi."

Kate turned around and saw him. He was still taller than she was, he was still handsome, and he was still dressed better than she was. "Hi, been here long?"

"I was going to ask you that." Rick smiled, stepped closer to her, and brushed a kiss on her cheek. "I've been here long enough to look around a little. No trouble getting here, I hope." It wasn't that the subway was all that dangerous, it was just that his imagination could dream up all kinds of horrible scenarios.

"No, no problem. I know you showed me pictures. Even pictures of our room, but this place is big, Rick. Do we really need this much space?" She liked it but it was more than she had expected.

"This is just the Sky Suite. There's also the Royal Loft Suite which is bigger still. Crown Loft Suite which is basically this suite with a different decor. The Royal Suite which is bigger. The Presidential Suite which is even bigger and has a hot tub where we're standing. The Owners' Suite which is also larger. Then there's the Aqua Theater Suite which has two walls of windows. And the Presidential Loft Suite which is the largest suite there is." Rick thought he'd kept it simple. It really hadn't cost him all the much based on how much money he had and what he could have spent.

"Okay, okay, I give. Our room is nice." Kate had enough trouble thinking what was better and what Rick might have been able to afford.

Rick was ready to go ask if a larger suite was available, however he was betting they weren't. He'd learned while talking about this trip that the really expensive suites and the really inexpensive suites went first. He was happy to get this one.

"Just one bed," Kate mentioned. Granted it was a really big one, but they had yet to sleep together.

"I promise to be a very good boy and not hog the sheets or blanket." He feared he was lying since this was a first for him as well.

That wasn't what Kate meant, but it was amusing. "Good, see to it that you don't. I don't want to wake up with frozen feet." Sleeping in the same bed as him was going to be new. Maybe this trip would end up leading them to finally have sex. She was starting to think that they might be ready. Lord knows the last time they had made out on his sofa at his place she had left totally wet and almost willing to have sex if he had just pushed a little. But he hadn't and she'd been thankful for that. Maybe it was time.

"So what's first? I've already unpacked and looked around. They don't have anything planned for today. I'm not even sure what will be open before we leave tomorrow morning." Kate didn't know what to do tonight.

"Well they have to feed us. So if you're hungry we can go find the buffet and eat dinner tonight. Perhaps make some reservations for one or more of the specialty restaurants. Maybe hit the pool later." Rick didn't think much else was going to be open either. It was kind of an in-between time.

Her mind went to which swim suits she'd brought with her. The one piece had been left behind thanks to Lanie. That left one bikini and the one that was tiny.

Kate was taking too long to respond. "You did bring a suit? Maybe we can find one in the shops if you didn't." He would buy her one.

"No, I did. Two, even. Fine, dinner it is and maybe the hot tub later." She feared the pools might be too cold. Plus if they hit the hot tub she could see Rick shirtless.

"Lead the way, my lady." Rick gestured for her to go in front of him. They ended up walking side by side when they could until they reached the deck that held the buffet. Naturally it turned out that other people had the same idea. There were actually three serving areas for the buffet, though only one was open tonight.

Neither Kate nor Rick had any trouble finding something to eat. Drinks were in a slightly different location. Next came the first challenge: finding an empty table. It looked like all of the tables near the windows were taken so they went into the center.

"How's your dad?" Rick inquired after they sat down and started eating.

"Dad's fine. I think he's going to miss me while I'm gone. It's been just us since Mom died. …I think he likes you." Her dad hadn't liked any of the guys she had brought home for him to meet. Though as she thought about it, neither did she. None of them were Rick.

"I know my mother loves you. If I left it up to her we'd already be married with you pregnant with at least our second child." Rick watched her choke on the pregnant part which had him grinning.

"Your mother is…" She couldn't think of the right word for Martha.

"I think the word you're searching for is _unique._ Mother isn't bashful about anything. You want an opinion you just have to ask her." Rick loved her like no one else, but there were times when she tested him.

"I love your mother." Kate had met her often enough to learn to like her. Especially since Kate had learned fast that Martha loved her over the other women Rick had dated.

Rick raised his eyebrows. "Even her clothing choices?" His mother was definitely color challenged.

"Yes!" What Martha wore told Kate a lot. His mother was fun.

"I like you anyway," Rick said with a grin which had Kate sticking her tongue out at him then smiling at him. He chuckled. "So your dad likes me." The few times he'd met her father he had stared at him like he had some disease or something.

"Dad hasn't ever liked anyone I've dated until I met you. So yes, Dad likes you and not because you have money. I'm not sure what you said since he won't tell me, but yeah." Rick was in and Kate was happy about that.

"How did your meeting go?" It was why he was late and didn't come with her, leaving her to get there on her own. She didn't want to be upset about that, but she couldn't help being a little put out.

"My meeting." Rick rolled his eyes like Kate had taught him. He started off with, "Gina really pissed me off this time. You remember I told you that she came up with the idea of me being a playboy."

"Yes." Kate didn't understand why, either. Rick was dating her so him being a playboy that did things with every woman that came his way escaped her. Actually it upset her quite a lot, but Gina was his publisher and writing was how he made money. She really didn't know what to tell him.

"I told her no, however she went ahead with her plan anyway. Even worse, she scheduled a book signing while I was on this trip with you. She so pissed me off." Rick stopped eating since suddenly he wasn't all that hungry anymore.

"I think she hates me," Kate said quietly. Gina had a plan for him and she was betting Gina had designs for him. She knew women and Gina was one of those.

"NO, she doesn't hate you," Rick insisted and stared at Kate who looked at him like he was lying to her. "Yeah, she hates you." He didn't want to talk about why. He liked her and was even falling in love with her.

"And?" What had he done since Gina was important to him and his work?

"And I fired her and Black Pawn. I left instructions with my lawyer. He's going to inform Black Pawn they have the last book from me," Rick admitted since she had a right to know. Kate was an important part of his life as far as he was concerned.

"RICK!" He shouldn't have done that. He needed Black Pawn. Who else was going to help him with his books? Writing was his life. She was still working on trying to figure out how he knew so much that made his characters seem so real. Yes, she'd read all of his books. It helped when Rick downloaded all of them for her.

He waved his hand at her. "Don't worry about it. I'll think of something. I'm not letting Gina tell me who I can date and besides, her playboy image is crap. I don't know what she's thinking." Gina was still a mystery to him.

Kate was pretty sure she knew exactly what Gina was doing, but it wasn't her place to tell him. They were just dating. Still she agreed that Gina pissed her off.

"Can she do anything? Make you do what she wants? Never mind, you said you fired her and Black Pawn." He'd already done something. "Maybe I can get Dad help you to find someone to replace Black Pawn." Her dad knew people. Publishers weren't really something he knew a lot about, but maybe he knew someone that did.

"Don't worry about it. My lawyer and I will think of something. Just concentrate on having fun on our trip." Rick wanted off this topic. It was putting dark clouds over what should be a fun trip.

"That I can do." Kate smiled at him and went back to eating, watching Rick eat what he had.

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Rick managed to drag Kate with him to the promenade area where all the shops were. The fact that they were all closed didn't stop him. It just meant they had to peer in through the glass. There were also a few small kiosks that looked like they might sell items out in the middle of the space, but they were also closed. Most looked like they were meant for kids.

Then Kate caught a glimpse of just how childish Rick could be since he was cooing all over one of them. It looked to her like a Build Your Own Bear type of place.

Rick saw the look she was giving him; he had seen it before. Except this time he wasn't affected. "Think of it as something that will remind you of this trip." Whenever he saw the bear he planned to make he was going to be transported back to this trip.

Kate didn't think she needed a bear to remember this trip. She already couldn't believe she was on this ship and was going to remember this trip forever.

Then Rick found something that Kate had missed earlier. It was also closed but that didn't stop him from looking it all over. "Ice cream and cookies. Ice cream over there and cookies here. Then we can sit out there and people watch." He loved the idea.

"People watch?" Why would they want to people watch?

"People watch." Rick lowered his voice and leaned closer to her. "There's a spy on this ship. Our job is to find him. I can put all of it in my next book. You can help," he whispered and continued reading what types of cookies they made.

Kate looked at Rick a little in shock. He was going to let her help with his next book? Yes, it meant doing something she thought was stupid, but he hadn't even batted an eye about including her. It made her like him just a little more.

They ended up touring almost the entire ship, together this time. Throughout it all Kate noticed that even though the passenger limit was 6,000 people, they weren't seeing many others. She couldn't help but wonder if there were a lot of empty cabins.

Eventually even Rick gave up and was willing to retire to their cabin.

They had two full bathrooms so Kate told him she was going to take a shower before bed. Rick meanwhile pulled out and unrolled his computer then went downstairs to sit down and began typing. He had an idea for a story that he wanted to get it down while it was still fresh in his mind.

Kate cursed a little, annoyed with herself because she'd forgotten to bring her pajamas with her into the bathroom. She wasn't used to sleeping with a man or with anyone, actually. At least she had her towel to wrap around her. She hurried out into the bedroom to find her pajamas.

A quick look told her that he was sitting downstairs. He had the TV wall on but he wasn't really paying any attention to it. He seemed to be typing on something instead. She heaved a relieved sigh and retreated back to the bathroom to change.

Her hair was mostly dry as she walked downstairs to sit next to him and watch what he was doing.

As she sat down he didn't even slow down. It was like she wasn't even there. It allowed her to look at what he was doing. There was a screen and a keyboard that she was used to. Except his entire unit was incredibly thin. Like paper thin, yet it looked stiff, and didn't bend while he typed.

He was totally oblivious to her so she turned her attention to the TV. This presented her with a new problem: how to change channels. She was used to using a remote and after getting up and looking around she didn't even see how he had turned it on let alone changing channels.

She sat back down next to him. "Rick?" It looked like she needed help. "Rick?" He still wasn't paying attention to her. "BABE!" This time she touched him and he jerked like she had sent a jolt of electricity through him. "Sorry!" Kate gave him her best _please don't shoot me _look.

"It's okay. It's not something Mother hasn't done when she was over. She told me once that she was standing over me, yelling at me, and I just ignored her. In my defense I don't remember ever having heard her. When I'm typing the whole world just disappears. You didn't do anything wrong." Kate saw him turn it off which suddenly made it so soft that it fell into his lap. Then she watched him roll it up into tube and set it aside. "What's up?" Kate had all of his attention now. "And what are you wearing?" He wanted to say they were hideous but he needed to be nice while still being critical of what she was wearing.

"They're pajamas," she said defensively, though even she wasn't in love with them. It wasn't what she usually wore but she was going to be sleeping in the same bed with him for the next 11 nights. It was the best she could come up with.

Rick shook his head and blinked hard but what he saw didn't change. "You wanted something?" She had interrupted him for something.

"How do you change the channel? I can't even figure out how you turned it on," Kate told him, hoping he was sitting on the remote and wouldn't make her feel stupid.

Instead he just sat there. "TV, Guide," Rick stated and suddenly Kate saw the screen change to a listing of what was available. "Scroll down slowly." She watched the channel options scroll down slowly to different channels.

"Voice control." She had heard of them but their TV was older and you used a remote to do this. Now she was sure he thought she was stupid. Though he'd been to her place and seen their TV, so maybe not.

"Stop!" Kate saw something. "Show 23." They both suddenly saw information about the excursions that were available for purchase. "Can we do one of these?" They were going to different planets and Kate wanted to see a planet. She was probably never going to be out here again so she wanted to see all she could.

"I've already purchased shore excursions for us at all our stops. I was warned that they sell out fast, especially the really good ones. If I waited until we were onboard we could have missed out on some of them or ended up stuck with what was left." Now it was Rick's turn to give Kate his best _please don't hurt me _look.

She still wasn't used to him having money to do this. She wasn't angry or event upset. In fact she was glad he'd planned ahead. "Can I see what you got?" She sincerely doubted that she would hate what he got them, but she was curious.

"Of course." He went upstairs to search for the printout then came back down and handed it all to her.

Rick was grinning as he watched Kate dive in to read about all of what he had already bought for them. He had agonized over all of it. He liked it all but would she?

"Looks good." She had noticed that they were going to be really busy. "I don't have any boots to go walking in much less hiking." He had booked them a hiking package. It was tagged as being an easy walk but she didn't have shoes meant for that.

"We can find you some when we get there." Rick had faith that they could get her anything she didn't have for this trip.

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Kate was in the bathroom doing her bedtime routine. She may be 19 but she wanted to keep her skin looking young for as long as she could and that meant taking care of it. Her dad had questioned why he needed to be spending some of their precious money on all of her cosmetics as he put it. However, Kate hadn't backed down.

When she came out she found a bare chested Rick partially under the covers on one side of the bed. He had given her the side closest to the bathroom.

"You're going to wear that to bed?" Rick questioned. She was wearing those same pajamas that she had earlier.

"Yes, you don't like them?" They were safe. "You don't like them." This time she stated it instead of questioning it.

"I want you to be comfortable. If wearing that much makes you comfortable…" Rick shrugged.

These pajamas weren't what she usually wore to bed. They were here because she was sleeping in the same bed as Rick.

"Fine." Kate went to a drawer, pulled out two pieces of clothing, and stomped back into the bathroom. When she came back out she was wearing a t-shirt and panties. She went over to the dresser and put her pajamas away.

Rick tried not to grin as he watched her ass when she walked away since he really liked what he saw. Then she turned around and his eyes were glued to her chest. It wasn't hard to tell she wasn't wearing a bra since he saw nipples and they looked to be hard. Then he watched as she pulled the sheet back and climbed in and covered up. "Happy now?" Kate asked.

"If you are, then I am." He turned, pounded on his pillow, then laid back down. "We leave orbit in the morning, probably after going through the mandatory evacuation drill. Good night." Rick leaned way across the bed to kiss her cheek.

She decided that she liked it. She felt normal in bed and he was way over there. She just hoped he didn't snore and she had liked the kiss.

"'Night." Kate leaned way across to kiss his cheek and went to work on her pillow before settling down. So far their first night was just fine. He wasn't pushing her for sex and he was being perfect. Maybe just a little too perfect and maybe just a little too far away. They had 11 nights to adjust to being with each other in the same room and in the same bed.

So far he was still perfect. The corners of Kate's mouth turned up in a smile as she drifted off to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 4_

Kate woke up and started to stretch since she was sure there would be a few kinks in her muscles. However the second she moved she felt it. Looking down she saw one of Rick's hands on her breast. He had touched her breasts before, through her clothes and bra, but this was different since her t-shirt was a little small for her, but that was how she liked it when she slept.

She twisted her head to look at him to see if he was doing it on purpose. He was face down in his pillow. She wasn't really sure how he was breathing since his face was planted into his pillow. His left hand was on her left breast.

Her next question was why was he on her side of the bed? Going back to looking around told her that he kind of was on his side. It was she that wasn't on her side. Though if anybody asked she was going to say they met in the middle.

Next was what was she going to do about it? His hand was on her breast and he was out cold but she was starting to worry if he was getting enough oxygen. Then suddenly he snorted and moved a little. His hand moved off of her breast and she rather missed having it there. She turned her head to find he had turned his head to face her. His eyes were closed and he was breathing peacefully.

Kate debated just what to do. Almost unaware that she was doing it, her hand moved and she carefully lifted his hand, placing it squarely on her breast and leaving it there. She liked the feeling of it.

He was still asleep so she wondered just what else she could do. She'd read in school that some people were susceptible to being talked to while asleep and getting them to say or do things. Sort of like hypnotism.

Kate turned her head to look at him. She feared that if she said anything he would wake up and ruin it all. Then a thought hit her. This idea was really stretching things but she was sure they would get there eventually, maybe even during this trip.

He wasn't really lying down properly for this to work but it was close enough. Kate carefully lifted his hand and looked to make sure he was still asleep. Then very slowly she moved his hand so that it was resting just between her legs. His middle finger was actually touching her core. The movement had caused him to adjust his shoulder yet he didn't wake up. Now Kate just laid there and fantasized about just what his hand could do down there when that time came.

Then he snorted and moved a little, causing Kate to quickly get out of bed and look down at him. He was still asleep and she watched as his hand searched the bed where she used to be. She couldn't help but think his hand was searching for her breast.

She smiled as she retreated into the bathroom. After using the toilet she stripped and turned on the water to take a shower. She didn't even think about having to once again use her towel to get clothes.

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Kate was mostly dry and her towel was wrapped around her tightly just above her breasts. Opening the door to take a peek she saw the bed was empty. Rick was up. Looking into the rest of the room told her he wasn't in the bedroom.

She snuck over to the drawers to get a bra and panties. Then to the closet to find something to wear; she retreated to the bathroom to dress in private.

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Kate didn't even give it a second thought when she opened the bathroom to come back out only to find Rick standing there in his boxers, picking his pants up off the bed. For a moment she had an excellent view. Then she retreated back into the bathroom and softly almost closed the door. She wanted to spy on him.

He was all done save for his shoes. "You can come back out now," Rick said loudly.

Kate clapped a hand over her mouth to keep from crying out. She'd been spotted and was just now finding out that he'd seen her. "I didn't see anything," Kate called out from the bathroom. Actually she saw very little since he had his boxers on at the time.

"It's still safe to come out," Rick said with a touch of laughter in his voice. Kate slowly opened the door even though she knew it was safe. She'd been caught spying on him and she was embarrassed.

He used a finger to beckon her over to him. She went slowly like she was a little girl who was about to be punished. She shouldn't, she wasn't a child anymore. But she felt guilty.

Once she was in front of him he used the same finger to tilt her head up to look at him. Though instead of telling her off he kissed her deeply and wrapped his arms around her. She didn't kiss him back at first but that changed quickly. It was one of their best kisses ever. When he broke from the kiss it left her breathless. "I'll be sure to dress slower next time." That way she would have something to see.

"Yes! …NO!" He had her confused. "Breakfast?" she asked, desperately wanting off this topic before she did something really stupid. Something that might ruin this trip for both of them.

"Good plan. We can talk over breakfast about what to do next time. One of us needs to be naked next time." Rick was teasing and he knew it.

"RICK?" Was he asking her what she thought he was? That they should be naked next time followed by having sex? "Maybe." Kate was thinking she might be willing to take that next step soon.

"In that case we need food to build up our energy. The buffet will have to do since we don't have any reservations elsewhere even if any of them do serve breakfast." Rick guided her out of their room and headed toward the buffet level.

They only made it as far as their door. Just inside on the floor was a list of today's events along with some other information. "There's a show later tonight. We can go see that," Rick suggested.

Kate saw something about trivia using music just after lunch. Something else was happening in another bar area. The casino would be open as soon as they left the system.

"The mandatory evacuation drill is in two hours," Kate pointed out. "It says where we're to go based on where our room's located. Looks like we're in section 1 on deck 6 on the port side. Which side is port?" She didn't know much about ships.

"The left side. We still have time for breakfast. We need energy for later." Rick smiled at her which made Kate grin at him.

Kate found that the line was relatively short though all three lines of the buffet were open. They also had a lot to chose from. She selected lots of fruit, some scrambled eggs, and a couple pieces of bacon; she moved on and ignored everything else. She made a mental note for next time that there was an assistant chef making omelets made to order.

She saw Rick's plate and raised an eyebrow. "Hungry much?" He had damn near everything on his plate and a lot of it. Especially bacon and eggs.

"I'm a growing boy," he answered and glared at Kate after she patted his stomach.

"Growing," she teased. "That's why women have a saying: once on the lips, forever on the hips."

"This ship has an exercise area so we can burn some of this off if we want," Rick countered.

"You're going to have to do 30 laps for a start if you eat all that." Kate had seen what kind of shape he was already in and liked the way he looked.

"We can change and hit the exercise room after the evacuation drill. That or the pool." Rick was dying to see Kate in a bikini.

That had Kate considering her bikinis. One was simple enough while the other was far more risqué. Not only would Rick get an eyeful, so would everyone else on the ship.

She made a plan for them. "Exercise first, then trivia. We can decide on what to do before the show tonight."

"Deal." Rick was in.

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Kate came out of the bathroom dressed for spending some time on the exercise deck and found Rick waiting for her, already changed as well. His eyes roamed all over her.

What she was wearing was a little out of style but it was all she had. It was skintight and had rather bright colors. What got her to buy it, even if it was out of fashion, was that it came with a built-in sports bra. It meant she didn't have to spend money on a separate sports bra. She had ignored the looks she got when she ran through the park near home. She planned to ignore the looks she got here as well. Though the look Rick was giving her wasn't critical of what she was wearing. If anything it was as if she was standing there utterly naked. Finally it got to her. "Let's go." Kate grabbed her towel, her room card, and went downstairs.

Rick did the same and followed her. He was behind her all the way to the exercise deck. Save for the times he looked up to make sure he didn't crash into anyone, his eyes were glued to Kate's ass. If he didn't know any better she was swaying her hips on purpose.

Kate stopped at the desk and smiled as Rick was still right behind her. She'd made sure to add a little extra sway to her walk to keep his eyes on her ass. If they were on hers they wouldn't be on some other woman's that Kate was sure would be in there.

A little stretching first and a drink of water and they were both on the track that overlooked the pool. The roof was mostly glass though the walls here were only glass from time to time. In-between there were painted murals depicting a number of celestial images. Some were constellations while others were whole galaxies.

They were on their third trip around when they found themselves joined by another couple. After just one more trip she was running next to Kate while the guy was running next to Rick. She was built in a way that made Kate envious. Even with her sports bra and the latest exercise clothes her breasts had a tendency to bounce. Her hair was cut incredibly short but it looked good on her. Her legs were even almost as long as hers. She was also lovely.

She introduced herself as they ran. "I'm Daphne."

"Kate." Kate smiled since she hadn't yet said anything about what she was wearing. Nor had her face shown any signs of disgust.

"My husband, Robert, is behind us next to your husband," Daphne said.

Kate corrected her. "He's not… I mean, we're not married. This is a date."

Daphne was a little surprised at that. "An 11 night trip through space as a date? Now _I'm_ jealous." She was sincere. When she and Robert were dating he hadn't done anything like that. She lowered her voice so only Kate could hear her. "You should marry him. I've never met any man who would consider this trip a date. …And he's handsome." Daphne stopped talking and just kept running next to Kate.

"Robert," the husband told Rick.

"Rick. Your wife?" She and Kate were out in front of both of them. Rick still had his eyes on Kate's ass…mostly.

"Daphne. It isn't quite our third anniversary but we were in the area so we decided on this cruise to celebrate. That and it takes us to a planet we wanted to reach." He couldn't explain better. "Your wife is bold." Anyone who could wear what she was wearing had to be sure of herself.

Rick shook his head. "We're not married. This is a date."

They both stopped talking and just kept running behind their respective women.

"I've had enough running. Not really my style, unlike my wife. I'm going to hit the machines. It was nice meeting you." Robert slowed to a walk, headed to the closest door, and went inside since the track was theoretically outside, just not technically outside.

That left Rick to follow both women.

"I think I lost my husband. He never was any good at running. But he has muscles." Daphne grinned at Kate since she loved his muscles.

Kate grinned since she caught what she was suggesting. She was a little surprised that Rick was still with her. She was used to running longer distances while he had always balked at going running with her.

"We might lose Rick soon, too," Kate added and wasn't surprised when he only lasted another half lap and went inside.

"We could hit the weights too. I could show you how to increase your leg muscles. Squeeze the life out of your guy when you wrap them around him. You can get him to promise _anything _to release him and let him breathe." Daphne had a little fun with Kate.

"Anything, huh?" Kate actually considered her offer. She stopped at the first door to go back inside with Daphne right behind her.

They both saw Rick and Robert working on their upper bodies while Daphne took Kate to a machine meant for legs.

Kate was still working the machine, but her legs were starting to kill her. "They burning yet?" Daphne asked her as she used the same machine next to her.

"I'm not going to be able to walk back to our room." It wasn't the weight per se. It was just that she was tired of doing it over and over again.

"Good." Daphne smiled and kept working her machine.

Kate was slowing way down. She wasn't capable of keeping up with Daphne who was still going strong. "I'm done," Kate announced and was afraid to even try to stand up. Her legs were quivering like gelatin.

Daphne urged her to go for more. "Ten more. Come on, you've got it in you. Ten more, Kate."

Kate huffed a breath and started to do another set while Daphne nodded approvingly.

"I think my wife has designs on your girlfriend." Robert had spotted what his wife and Kate were doing. "My wife has leg muscles that can squeeze a person's life out of them. If she succeeds you can kiss your ability to breathe during sex goodbye. Trust me, I know." His wife had wrapped her legs around him and squeezed him to death more times than he could count.

Intrigued, Rick watched what Kate was doing. She was on the same machine as his wife, though Kate was a whole lot slower at it. He was betting he was safe for now, but maybe if he encouraged her to keep it up…

Kate fell back on the bench and quit. Her legs refused to even move. "I can't move," she groaned.

Daphne dangled a carrot in front of her. "Just think about wrapping your strong legs around your boyfriend while he's inside you and squeezing the life out of him. Think about something you want him to do but he's refused thus far. Then you can ask him again while you squeeze the life out of him.

"Now get up and do ten more," Daphne said encouragingly and smiled as Kate sat up and struggled mightily to do even five more.

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Robert had Rick right behind him. "You ladies done? I was thinking the hot tub was next. Get those jets to hit my shoulders." His shoulders were burning and he was betting Rick's were as well. He tried to flex them a little and felt some discomfort.

"I'm going to need a wheelchair," Kate said wearily. Anything that took the pain away sounded good to her.

Robert slapped Rick on the back about shoulder high, causing him to wince. "Rick, here, can carry you." Robert was all smiles while Daphne snorted out a laugh since she saw Rick wince from that slap.

Kate lifted up her arms and waited for Rick to pick her up. He actually did pick her up which had Kate smiling, but then he put her on her feet which promptly collapsed since they were made of gelatin.

"We'll meet you by the pool unless your room is on deck 9." Daphne stood up with ease and latched onto her husband.

Rick shook his head. Kate answered, "Seventeen. Just look for the woman that's being carried."

Both Daphne and Robert laughed as they walked away. "I like her, babe. She has spirit."

"Wearing that outfit certainly says she has something," Robert responded which earned him a swat.

"Be nice or I won't release you tonight." She threatened to not unlock her legs from around him.

Robert simply smiled. "I look forward to it." He kissed her cheek.

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Kate had made it back to their room which thankfully was only about half the ship away followed by a trip in the transit pod.

Rick was downstairs changing while Kate was using the bed to help her make it to the bathroom so she could put her bikini on. Once in the bathroom she sat down hard on the toilet. "I think I've been played."

Kate had her bikini on and it wasn't the one with the thong. She wasn't that brave yet.

"Do I need to come up and get you?" Rick called up to her as he smiled widely.

Kate growled as she picked up her towel and slipped into her flip flops. "I'm coming." She wrapped her towel around her waist, picked up her room card, and began taking the stairs one step at a time until she joined Rick on the lower level of their room.

"How far is the pool?" Her legs were barely functioning.

"One deck down and toward the middle." Rick bent his arm and held it out for her to grab hold of and led both of them out the door to the transit pod.

"There's the hot tub. I'll find us a pair of lounges to put our towels on and join you." Rick released her at the stairs up to the hot tub and headed out to find a place to lay down later.

"You made it!" Daphne and Robert were already there. They happened to be in this hot tub and were watching as Kate very slowly took the steps one at a time.

"Half of me," Kate joked and Daphne laughed.

"The more you do it the easier it gets. Trust me. Ask my husband if you don't believe me." She kissed his cheek since he was going to learn that lesson tonight.

Kate sat down and moaned in relief since the bubbles were hitting her back and the weight was off her legs.

Another couple joined them before Rick joined them and sat next to Kate. "Don't kill me but the closest open lounges were on the upper deck." It meant a walk from here and up a set of stairs.

"Well since I'm never leaving it doesn't matter." Kate closed her eyes and tried to relax.

Rick definitely needed to add a hot tub to his apartment.


	5. Chapter 5

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 5_

Kate had actually fallen asleep in the hot tub, she'd been so relaxed. It only reinforced the fact that Rick needed to find a way to add a hot tub to his apartment.

Right now she was coming out of the bathroom after changing for dinner. He'd made reservations at a steak house for late tomorrow, after they came back from their shore excursion. She had even found that her legs were working again. At least enough to make it back to their room.

Rick wasn't in the bedroom but she did see him downstairs and he had the wall TV on. "Why are you watching that thing?" Kate asked as she took the steps very slowly and one at a time. She might be walking better, but that didn't mean her strength wouldn't suddenly leave her.

"Just planning ahead. They have a movie theater but they also show movies every night. I was thinking that if either of us have insomnia we could order popcorn and watch a movie until we fall asleep," Rick said defensively. There were much better things to do than just sitting in their room and watching TV.

Kate doubted it but at least he had an excuse. She stopped at the bottom of the stairs.

"I take it you're ready to go." Rick turned off the TV and looked at her. He'd seen this dress before but it looked so good on her. It flattered her figure and showed off her legs. She had obviously added some makeup as well. It only reinforced his belief that she was gorgeous.

"Until my legs give out I'm fine," Kate smiled since losing her legs was still a possibility.

Kate latched onto Rick's arm and allowed him to guide her to the buffet. There was a main dining hall where they could sit and eat. Their brochure this morning had told them what was being served there tonight. Kate had rejected everything on the menu so the buffet it was.

Kate started with fruit, added bread and butter, then added a carrot medley, and a baked potato. She skipped the chicken and went to the carving station where she got a slice of ham. Next came the drink station followed by finding a place to sit. Once again all the tables up against the glass were all taken so she went looking in the middle.

There was a bench that could seat four or more but it was open so she took it and sat down.

"Really Rick?" He wasn't that far behind her only he had twice what she did. He had even chosen most of what she did. Then she waved her hand. "Growing boy who is going to the exercise deck again tomorrow." He needed to burn some of that off.

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Kate was almost done while Rick was only about half way there. "May we join you?" Daphne inquired. "There aren't many open tables left."

"Of course." Kate scooted over to make more room for her and Rick did the same when Robert showed up.

"How are you doing?" Daphne asked Kate.

"I'm starting to think you hate me." Kate tried to sound serious even though she was teasing. Daphne just laughed and then tried to sound encouraging.

"You'll be fine. Each time you do it, it will get better and strong legs have a lot of benefits. You'll see."

"Don't listen to her. I'm sure your legs were fine before my wife got her hands on you." Robert was trying to rescue Rick from his wife.

Daphne glared at him. "Careful, husband. This trip isn't over yet." Robert knew it wasn't an idle threat. Her legs were killers.

"Can I ask what it is that you two do?" Rick wanted off the topic of Kate learning how to squeeze the life out of him.

"Don't get scared," Daphne said quickly.

Robert answered his question. "We're both S.T.A.R.S."

"Seriously?" Kate had a new appreciation for these two. Plus she was going to do those leg exercises now, every chance she got. If a S.T.A.R.S. member was trying to teach her she was going to listen.

"Special Tactics and Rescue Squad. Impressive." Rick had a new appreciation for these two as well. "Can I pick your brain while you two are here?" Rick was suddenly hopeful for a new reason.

That had both of the looking at him since they didn't understand.

"Rick is a writer. He's Richard Castle," Kate said, thinking that might help.

"Derrick Storm!" Daphne was following now.

"That guy got everything wrong. …Sorry!" Robert placed a hand on his shoulder.

"That's why I want to pick your brain. It needs to be realistic. When he was tied up that really was me. I did that just to test it," Rick told him in an attempt to defend what he wrote.

"He did, too. Somehow he made it to a phone and had me come over to get him out of it," Kate piled on which made Rick look bad. Annoyed, he glared at her.

"So what do you do, Kate?" Daphne tried to rescue Rick before they started to fight.

"I'm in college. I started out in one college, then my mom died and money became an issue so now I'm in a local community college. Not as prestigious but so long as I keep my grades up it shouldn't hurt," Kate explained. "Pre-law. Mom and Dad worked together and after she died their firm took a hit. Money became tight."

That had Daphne and Robert looking at each other. "You don't suppose?" Daphne asked him.

"Beckett," Robert stated and they both looked at Kate. "You're Katherine Beckett which makes your father Jim Beckett."

Kate's jaw dropped and she stared at these two. "How…how?" She didn't think her mother's death was that big. To her it was, but not to anyone else. Certainly not a pair of S.T.A.R.S.

"Her death was outside of our jurisdiction but that didn't mean we didn't learn about it. They never found out who killed her, did they?" Neither of them had kept track of the case. It wasn't their job.

"No," Kate answered softly since talking about it still hurt.

Daphne put an arm around her. "I'm sorry, honey. No one should lose a parent. We have friends who can look into it for you if you'll let us."

"It's no trouble. If we're in an area with communications we can start tomorrow. We really do have friends who owe us a favor." It was only a small white lie so Robert didn't feel bad about it.

Kate didn't want to have hope but suddenly these two had given it to her. "You're sure?" She also didn't want these two to get into trouble.

Daphne hugged her twice. "It's not a problem, really. Not guaranteed, but maybe."

"I don't know how to thank either of you for this. Losing her mother hurt her. She meant a lot to her. No one can bring her back and while I know a few people, none of them ever found anything." Rick could feel tears for Kate starting. That she might get answers when both of them had given up meant so very much.

"We'll get started in the morning once we reach the planet." Robert knew they couldn't do much until they had communications outside of this ship.

"Thank you!" Kate's voice was breaking as she allowed herself to be hugged by Daphne.

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_This section is rated __**M**__ for a reason. Reader discretion is advised._

Her legs still felt like rubber but they were getting better. Right now she was resting in the bathroom sitting on the toilet after changing for bed. She hadn't bothered with her pajamas this time. She had her usual tight t-shirt and panties.

She had delayed long enough; she stood up and opened the door. She found Rick sitting on the bed wearing just his boxers and he was facing the bathroom door. "Hi." Kate stood there and smiled softly.

Rick looked her over. This time she was much closer since it was only a step or two to the bathroom door. She was barefoot, bare legged, wearing pink panties and a tight white t-shirt that said something about soaring. Her nipples were front and center and that's where his eyes were.

"Hi." Rick lifted a hand and used his finger to tell her to come to him.

Kate slowly walked up to him and felt him use his hands to draw her in closer. Then he pressed his head to her chest. Kate used her hands to hold his head in place. It felt good to hold him like this. It was sweet and a little sexy.

Then she felt his fingers make their way under the top of her panties and start to pull them down. Kate froze in place a little but did nothing to stop him. Her panties were soon on the floor and she was still holding his head tight to her chest.

Then she felt her t-shirt being lifted up. This time Kate let go of his head, crossed her arms in front of her, lifting her t-shirt up over her head, and threw it somewhere. Now she was standing there between Rick's legs totally naked.

Kate soon felt kisses to her chest which soon became kisses to her breasts. Then he bit her nipple. "OW!" She pushed his head away and looked down at him. The look on his face told her he'd been teasing her. Seeing that, she bent down to kiss him.

Rick went backwards onto the bed and pulled Kate with him who came willingly. She ended up on top of him and began kissing him.

Somewhere along the way Kate found herself on her back with Rick on top who was kissing her while his hands roamed over her body. She was soaking wet and she was ready.

Then she felt his fingers starting to stroke the lips of her core which had her moaning into his kisses. "Rick." She was ready and wanted him inside her.

Kate spread her legs wide and felt him at her entrance. She had no idea what happened to his boxers but they were gone. "Protection?" She wanted him but didn't want to end up pregnant.

"I'm wearing a stem that's good for another 9 months. I can't get you pregnant," he assured her. Kate drew in a deep breath as suddenly Rick was deep inside her in one swift stroke.

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Kate was awake and found herself literally on top of Rick this time and while it wasn't totally comfortable, it did feel good. She started to remember what they'd done last night. She wasn't a virgin but Rick was the very best lover she'd ever had. She didn't dare move so she only looked at him. His eyes were closed and his chest was rising and falling rhythmically.

Then she looked down and saw that he had an erection. She knew what to do with one of those. She moved with great care until she was on her knees on one side of the bed. She lifted up his erection and bent over to take him in her mouth. It was soft, so very smooth, and she liked the look of it.

She got a moan out of Rick and took a quick peek but his eyes were still closed so she cradled his balls and did her best to deep throat him. Then when she pulled it back out she started licking all over it and tongued the open tip.

"Kate?" His voice sounded sleepy.

"Morning, don't move, babe." Kate went back to work on his cock, licking and deep throating him.

Just as he moaned loudly Kate stuck her tongue into the open tip and massaged his balls. She was rewarded with him climaxing into her mouth. With her mouth still full she climbed up his body, kissed him, and used her tongue to push his come into his mouth so she could share.

Kate broke from the kiss, sat up, straddling him, and looked down. "Hi." They had finally had sex and she was ready for even more. She reached down to hold him and found he was softening. Nonetheless she still tried; she lifted up and dropped down onto him, pushing his cock inside her. She started to gyrate and not raise up for fear of him slipping back out.

What she was soon feeling told her that he was hard again so she began riding him. Kate started to speed up just as she felt Rick's hands on her breasts. She placed her hands on his and forced his hands to massage her breasts as she fucked him.

Damn but he felt really good inside her. "I'm going to come. I'm going to come." She was so close she just needed a little more. That was when Rick rolled both of her nipples between his fingers until they were stiff. "RICK!" Her climax hit her hard as she plunged his cock deep inside her.

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She was lying on top of him and they were both still naked. Technically he was still inside her, but he was soft and Kate didn't dare move or he would slip out. She also felt his arms around her, holding her close.

"Definitely worth waiting for." Kate was worth waiting a lifetime for in his eyes.

Hearing that had her chuckling softly. She was why they had waited so long. "Yes, it was. Thanks for waiting for me." Kate kissed his chest.

"You're worth waiting for everything. You always were." Rick kissed her head.

"Can we do that again tonight and maybe again in the morning?" She was willing to make up for lost time.

Rick chuckled. "As often as I can keep up with you. I even brought condoms as a backup if you would rather I use those."

"No, I like the bare you." Kate rested right where she was. "What are we doing today?" She meant shore excursion.

"We're hiking the hills and valleys of Silverdale. It's filled with waterfalls and pools that we can swim in if we want. So we'll need to wear our swimsuits and take towels," Rick replied then nuzzled her neck.

Kate had to think about that. Her swimsuit from last night and the hot tub was hanging in the bathroom. That only left her thong bikini. She wasn't really worried about Rick seeing anything this time since he'd already seen most everything. It was just that who they went with would see most everything, too.

"Swimsuit, towel, wrap, t-shirt and my tennis shoes to walk in." Kate tried to think of what she will need. "Shower to get clean first." But she didn't move. "Not big enough for two," she sighed.

"Apparently this room has one small issue that I need to correct next time." Not that he knew if any of the other rooms had showers big enough for two.

Kate smiled. He was already talking about next time! "It's 7:45. We need to get moving. I'll take this one and you can have the one downstairs." This time she did move and felt him slide out of her, something she already missed.

She walked away, looked for what she would need, and dropped it all on the bed. Then she noticed Rick hadn't moved. "You're not coming?"

"Just enjoying the view." He put his hands behind his head and looked her over.

Kate threw her towel at his face. "Up, mister. Maybe if you're good we can fool around a little in one of those pools under a waterfall."

That had Rick moving. "Yes, ma'am!"

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This planet had an orbital station that the ship could dock with so they got off the same way they got on. From there they took shuttles down to a space port where they all dispersed taking shuttles to various places. Five couples went with them in their shuttle.

Rick and Kate sat way in the back and Kate saw another shuttle right behind them the entire way. "Must be popular."

"There are 6,000 people on the ship." Even if some of them didn't leave the ship that still left a lot of people and there were only 8 different excursions to select from.

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At their first stop they began their hike to the first waterfall.

"I don't see Daphne or Robert." She realized that she missed them plus she wanted to know if they'd learned anything yet.

"There are other excursions. Maybe they wanted to do one of those," Rick answered.

Kate had to agree that it was possible. She just wanted them with them. "What are we doing at the next one?"

"Anxious already?" They hadn't even finished this one. Rick saw the look she was giving him. "Shopping excursion through all the shops followed by parasailing out at sea."

"Is that where we hang way up high behind a boat or something?" Kate wasn't sure she wanted to do that one.

"Afraid of heights, are we?" It was something Rick hadn't considered.

"NO… At least not yet." Maybe she would be the more she thought about it. "And you can afford all this." He obviously could but still she asked.

"We can do it again next year, if you like. Take different shore excursions or go to one planet and just stay there. I know of one where the hotel is hidden in the trees. Real tree houses. Or we can do the one where all the rooms are cabins sitting on water. Go swimming right off our own patio. Do you ski?" He knew of another one she might like if she did.

She shook her head. "Snow ski? No. Water ski, never tried it. Or parasailing or parachuting. Why would I want to jump out of a perfectly good airplane? Unless it was crashing." Kate got up and walked out of their shuttle and went where she was told.

"What about scuba diving or snorkeling?" Now that they were doing things, he might as well find out.

"Neither. Don't you need training for scuba?" Kate knew that much.

"You do but we can take lessons. Might be fun," Rick cajoled.

"Maybe some day." Kate really wasn't all that interested. She still had to survive the shore excursions he'd already arranged, whatever they were.

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They were at their third and final waterfall and this one was a real hike. Because of it there were only three couples that went. Rick and Kate were one of the three.

Kate took off her t-shirt and dropped her towel followed by toeing off her tennis shoes. She started wading out into the pool. She was a lot more comfortable with showing off so much skin. Her ass was totally exposed and the top mostly just covered the more important parts.

She swam toward the waterfall and stopped under it to let the water stream over her head and splash around her. Rick joined her then wrapped his arms around her and was kissing her as the water cascaded over them. Then she felt Rick move her bikini bottoms to one side and a finger slide inside her. She sucked in a breath. "Rick!" There were people around them somewhere.

"Hush. They can't see a thing. Just don't call out." Then suddenly that same finger was stroking her clit.

"Rick!" The more he stroked the hotter and wetter she got. "Push your finger inside me." He did as he was told. And he also placed a hand on her breast.

It was taking no time at all and Kate no longer cared that someone might be watching. "Don't stop, please don't stop." Then he kissed her just as he moved his finger to her clit and began rubbing it as fast as he could.

"SHIT! I'm going to come!" Then Kate climaxed all over his fingers.

Just as she was calming down she watched him place those same fingers in his mouth. "Mmm, tasty. I'm so eating your pussy tonight," Rick told her.

"Shit!" If what he was doing to her wasn't already enough now he wanted to go down on her. The idea of seeing him between her spread legs was planted firmly in her mind. "Can't wait." This trip was turning out to be far more fun than she had ever imagined.

They were now lovers and she was falling for him badly. She wasn't ready to say the words but she was betting she would be sometime during this trip.


	6. Chapter 6

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 6_

Kate woke up curled next to Rick, totally naked. In fact she hadn't even tried to put on her typical sleeping outfit of t-shirt and panties. They were going to have sex and would have to take them off anyway, so why even put them on?

Rick was staring at her. "Hi. …Were you watching me sleep?" It sounded creepy. Instead of answering her question he kissed her. Then kissed her again followed by kissing his way down to her breasts. "Rick, what are you doing?" The answer was obvious. He didn't stop for long at her breasts as much as she wanted him to. She giggled a little when he lingered at her belly button since it tickled. Then when he kept going she sucked in a breath. He was going to do this morning what he had done last night.

He was going to eat her pussy! She moaned loudly at the first touch of his tongue. She even grabbed his head and held it in place so he couldn't stop.

It felt like no time at all before he had her scrambling all over the bed. She couldn't make up her mind if she wanted to get away from his tongue or get more pressure from his tongue.

She grabbed handfuls of the sheets and squeezed her hands tightly closed the closer she got to her orgasm. She lifted her ass off the bed until she screamed like she had last night.

While she was calming down and enjoying the afterglow of her orgasm, Rick crawled his way up her body and kissed her. Just like last night she could taste herself on his lips. Or maybe it was more them since the taste of him was mixed in.

Rick smiled at her. "Morning."

She grinned back at him. She could learn to really love waking up like this every day. Naked and in his arms followed by sex. "Morning." Then she reached out to kiss him. Once again she tasted _them. _Yeah, she could really get used to this. She wondered why she'd waited so long.

"What?" Rick saw a look on her face.

At first Kate thought of saying it was nothing. She told him the truth instead. "I'm sorry I made you wait so long."

"You're worth the wait. I think I've told you that already and it still applies. Though…since today's a sailing day we could spend all day in our room having sex." Rick wiggled his eyebrows a couple of times and grinned.

Kate laughed. Then she thought about it as if he was serious. Staying in their room and having sex all over the place, maybe even outside on what amounted to their balcony that was kind of out in space had a sudden appeal. There was one small catch that she could think of. "We still need to eat." That much sex, while she was more than willing, was going to require energy.

"Room service?" It cost more and the options were a bit limited.

Kate shook her head. She wanted real food. "Don't we have a reservation in that steak house today?" She forgot just when but was sure it was today.

"Not until 8:00 tonight. We have plenty of time." Naked and sex all day was still on Rick's mind.

"I have to go to the exercise deck. I need to work my legs so I can squeeze the life out of you." Kate smiled and gave him a quick kiss.

"So you do want to kill me," Rick teased.

"You'll enjoy dying between my legs. I promise." Kate giggled since he was just between her legs.

"I don't know." Rick wasn't convinced. She tasted great and he could spend all day between her legs one way or another. But if her legs got that strong it might be his last.

"You'll enjoy it, babe. Come on, time for breakfast. We need energy." Breakfast first then back there for more sex. Now that they were lovers Kate intended on having as much sex as was possible.

Hand in hand they headed for the buffet deck to find out what was for breakfast today.

This time Kate went for a made-to-order omelet while Rick did what he did last time.

"We're definitely hitting the exercise deck if you keep eating like that." She wanted him lean and mean just like her.

"It's free food." He was taking full advantage of what was available while they were there.

"Free fat, you mean." Kate pressed him to cut down on the food. "Please, babe? There's already enough of you to love." She didn't even notice what she had said. Rick had, though.

He quickly looked at her. "You love me?" Did she mean it or was it a slip of the tongue?

Kate concentrated on what she had said. Then her eyes opened wide. She'd said the magic word and hadn't even noticed. It was out now, so did she? "Yes," she answered softly. "I love you. And I don't want you overweight. So please? …I promise not to squeeze you to death. Just enough to make you grunt. Maybe force you to keep you eating me out." There she had said it.

"You don't need to force me to do that. I like giving you pleasure. And for the record, I love you too." Rick reached out to take her hand and hold it.

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Kate was flying high when she went back to the beverage bar to get more orange juice.

"Kate!" Daphne had run into her by accident.

"HI!" Kate was happy to see her.

"You've been up to something. You're glowing." She looked a lot happier than she did last time.

Glowing? Kate blushed. "I am _not_ glowing."

"It's fine. Your glow looks good on you." She really liked this look. "So what are the two of you planning to do today?" It was a sailing day so everyone was onboard the ship.

"Breakfast, exercise deck, and then we'll see." Kate wasn't going to say all day sex, not even to her new best friend.

"Good, I'll meet you there. You could use a coach to get those leg muscles. Then you can work more on that glow." Daphne wasn't letting go of that. Kate was fun.

Kate opened her mouth to insist that she wasn't glowing. But based on how much sex they had already had and how much more they were going to have… Yeah, she was glowing.

"Meet you in an hour," Daphne told her and joined her husband to inform him of their plans this morning since it was a change from what they had planned on doing.

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Kate dropped onto the sectional in their cabin. Right where Rick put her. "SHUT UP!" She saw him start to open his mouth. "RICK!" He had started to open it again.

"I'll go talk to the ship's doctor. Maybe he has something for sore muscles," he offered and headed for the door. "Self-imposed muscle cramps." Rick shook his head and slammed the door closed before Kate could say anything.

"I am so going to squeeze the life out of you, Richard Castle." He was going to deserve it after that comment.

Kate was still groaning from the pain in her legs when Rick came back, empty-handed. He had her undivided attention. "He said he didn't have anything. He did suggest a trip to the spa for your overworked muscles. So I set up an appointment for you at 6:30 tonight. Just before they close for the day."

"Thanks, Rick." Maybe she wouldn't kill him when she squeezed him to death.

"You comfortable here? I was thinking of going to the hot tub," Rick teased.

"I'll go." Kate started to get up and moaned loudly. "Can you bring me my swimsuit, please?" She didn't want to try the stairs.

Rick chuckled. "Sure." He went upstairs to find the driest one.

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Rick was smiling as Kate was all but wrapped around him to get from their room to the pool and then up the stairs to get into the hot tub. She hadn't batted an eye about stripping in front of him and putting on her swimsuit for a trip to the hot tub.

"OH, this is going to feel so good." Kate decided she was going to live there. Rick could bring all of her meals to her as she relaxed in the hot tub.

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They had moved from the hot tub to the pool and since swimming and floating was easy it didn't put any strain on her legs.

Right now Kate was standing on their patio looking out into nothing. It was just totally black. They were scheduled to arrive at their next planet in the morning so they still had hours to go.

"Ready for your spa trip?" Rick asked as he came down the stairs.

"Very much so!" This spa trip was going to feel sooo good. She closed the door and followed Rick to their front door.

The spa was at the bow of the ship same as they were. It was just several decks below them.

Rick kissed her and dropped her off. "Have fun. I'm going to go see a movie."

Kate was naked with a towel over her backside as a woman started on her shoulders and worked her way down her back until she finally reached her legs.

She was almost asleep when suddenly everything, including her, suddenly jumped. They and seemingly everything else just raised up maybe half an inch then suddenly came crashing back down.

"What was that?" Kate lifted up a little to look at the woman who looked a little shaken.

"I have no idea." It had never happened before. "Let me see if I can find out." She left Kate to see if she could learn anything.

Kate decided not to wait and got up, dropped her towel, and started getting dressed to leave. She was just putting her shoes on when she came back.

"We suddenly exited FTL; they won't say why. Since you're dressed you're free to go. I hope you enjoyed your treatment." She was ready to get off work and go relax.

"You were great, thank you." Maybe she could talk Rick into making another reservation for her. She felt so much better.

"Not in FTL," Kate muttered to herself as she went to the deck that held the movie theater. She needed to find Rick and decide what they were going to do next.

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Rick and everyone else got lifted up out of their seats then fell back into them. The movie just kept on playing though most everyone was now whispering to their neighbor. They didn't know anything more than they did.

Rick was concerned enough that he got out of his seat. "Excuse me, …sorry." He wasn't on an aisle so he had to make his way past a few people. By the time he reached the entrance he saw that he wasn't the only one leaving.

He was headed to the spa deck and had just reached it when he saw Kate coming out. "Kate!" He waved and walked quickly toward her.

"They said we suddenly came out of FTL. What's going on?" It shouldn't have happened as far as she knew.

"Maybe we can see something now before we start asking questions." Rick took her hand and went to the pool deck. It was an area that had transparent steel for a ceiling and they could see out with relative ease.

Once they got there they found everyone else already looking up. Problem was when they did, they didn't see anything. Just blackness and stars in the distance.

Both of them and others looked up while some shrugged it off and went back to what they were doing. Many more went somewhere else.

"THERE!" Kate raised her hand and pointed. But Rick was too late. "It was a flash of light," she said. Rick still didn't see anything.

Rick didn't want to panic but his imagination had him dreaming up all kinds of horrible things. He couldn't stop himself and he would apologize to her later if he had to. He'd made up his mind. "Let's go." He took her hand and began walking.

"Where are we going?" Kate asked but all he did was keep walking. Then she found herself going downstairs, deck after deck. "The pod is faster." Not that she knew where they were going.

"The power might go out," Rick replied shortly.

What was he talking about? "Why would the power go out?" Then suddenly her question was answered as they were both lifted up and thrown to the floor. Both of them fell down three steps to the next deck. They also landed in the dark until the emergency lights came on.

Then something even worse happened. Part of the stairs behind them collapsed along with some of the ceiling where they were located.

"RICK!" Kate held up her hands to protect her head.

"Evacuation deck! Let's move!" Rick began running down the stairs forcing Kate to run after him.

They had just reached that deck when they suddenly found themselves floating. If she was scared before, now she was down right terrified. Things like this weren't supposed to happen! Then in a heartbeat they fell to the floor and groaned from the pain. This was immediately followed by an alarm that both of them recognized from their mandatory evacuation drill. It was the abandon ship alarm.

Kate didn't know what to do next. Rick took her hand, raced down the hall, and opened up the first door he came to. On the other side was the evacuation deck that was on this side. On this deck was shuttle, after shuttle, after shuttle. All lined up and waiting.

Just as Rick opened the door this time there was an explosion in this bay and on this deck. This was followed by the sound of a woman screaming. However, it stopped instantly and was replaced by all the air being sucked out into space through a large hole somewhere.

A new alarm sounded and the bulkhead doors slammed shut, cutting off the rest of the bay and the rest of the deck. Once they were closed the space went silent; there were only flashing lights.

"Pick a shuttle," Rick said grimly which was followed by another giant beam crashing to the deck and taking two of the three shuttles in this section with it.

There was a cacophony of sound and both of them covered their ears. Then they watched and listened as smaller pieces fell from the ceiling and hit the floor.

"RUN!" There was only one shuttle left; going back out wasn't a good idea. They had no idea where the hole was that had allowed the oxygen to escape.

Kate ran as fast as she could then came to a sudden halt. She screamed and placed her hands over her mouth. Rick was next to her in no time. What they both saw was a woman that had been almost completely crushed by a colossal beam falling on her.

Rick saw someone else. "ROBERT!" and he was down next to him instantly. His legs were under another beam and there was blood beginning to flow out from under it.

"OH, GOD!" Kate saw he was holding the hand of the woman who was crushed. "NO! No, no, no." Her heart was telling her that the woman could only be Daphne.

"Robert." Rick saw him turn his head to look at him. There were tears in his eyes. "We need to get you out!" Rick frantically looked for something to lift the beam.

"Too…late." He was dead and he knew it. He saw Kate standing next to him with her hands over her mouth and a tear running down her face. Then one more, and another, and another. Until they rolled down her face in a steady stream. He used his hand that was holding his wife's and took something off. "Take…" He wasted no time in putting it around Kate's ankle. She was wearing a swimsuit with a cover and actually still had her flip flops. Rick was wearing regular street clothes.

"Jack, emergency override Alpha, Zeta, one one, Beta." Robert took off his watch and reached for Rick's arm. "Take…this." He didn't wait to see if it sealed around his wrist. He knew it would.

"You need…" He coughed up blood. "Run!" He willed them to run with his eyes. His beloved wife was dead; at least been quick. His death was going to be far more painful. "Run!" he managed to whisper before he closed his eyes and let Death take him.

"Let's go." Rick took Kate's hand and hurried to the shuttle. Once inside Rick closed the door and rushed to the front as did Kate who sat down next to him.

"You know what to do?" It looked a little complicated to her.

"I have no idea," Rick replied, but then he saw a button that said LAUNCH. So he pressed it. An instant later the shuttle was racing down a tube and out into space.

"Babe, we should have waited." It was just the two of them and the shuttle was built for far more than that. Rick chose not to answer and tried to look over what was in front of him. "RICK!" There were 6,000 people plus the crew on the ship. They shouldn't have just taken one whole shuttle for themselves. And where was the crew the was supposed to have been there to fly this thing?

"I think we have trouble." Rick pointed to a screen that he took to show them and what was around them. What was behind them was a whole lot of lights and they were getting closer.

"What is all that?" Kate put a finger on all the lights behind them.

"I'm pretty sure that's the ship or what's left of it." Rick was only guessing but it fit the facts. Plus his writer's imagination was going with it like it was a fact and not fiction.

"IT _EXPLODED__?__"_ They were totally screwed if it had. These things didn't have FTL like their ship did. Kate wasn't even thinking of all the clothes that she wasn't wearing were back there on a ship that didn't exist any longer.

"Find the space suits," Rick suddenly told her.

"Why?" The shuttle was secure and safe enough.

"If our ship did explode then all that debris is catching up to us. Maybe there's a patch kit if we get holed but I don't know where it is or how to use it. I'm not ready to die just yet," Rick explained urgently.

It was enough that Kate got to her feet and hurried to search the shuttle. There were four rows of benches for people to sit on. She didn't see any form of restraint system though she did see a symbol in several locations below each bench.

Opening the first one she found one of what she was looking for. She soon had two of them. And she kept going.

She came back to sit down. "Here's yours." She handed Rick a device. "I also found something that I think will patch holes. We have a lot of suits. I also saw other things if we need them." She was hoping they didn't. "One was food and water while the other–" Rick interrupted her.

"IT'S HERE!" Rick needed her to stop talking, to sit down, and get ready.

Kate was all set to tell him off when she heard things hitting their shuttle. She scrambled into her seat and pressed the button that put up the almost invisible restraint system. It was just like the cars back home.

Then suddenly they started spinning all over the place. "OH, GOD!" Now she was really scared.

"SPACE SUIT, NOW!" Rick slapped his to his chest and hit it again to activate it just as he felt the air start rushing out. It confirmed that they had a hole.

Kate slapped her device between her breasts, hit it again, and felt the device start crawling all over her skin as it sealed her in.


	7. Chapter 7

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 7_

"We're losing oxygen." Rick kept watching what was coming their way and the display that showed the cabin pressure. "Amongst other things." There were more and more red lights. The problem Rick was having was that most everything was abbreviated so what they meant was part guess work.

Kate was breathing perfectly even if the number of breaths were elevated. They were no longer in their cruise ship. They were in this little shuttle, all alone. They shouldn't be alone at all. They should be in back with crew members up here, flying this thing. She was pretty sure neither of them knew anything about flying the shuttle.

Their cabin did still have air so they could hear their shuttle being hit. Kate was even seeing streaking things that actually glowed going past them. She could only guess that she was only seeing a small fraction of the things that were going past them.

Eventually the sound stopped. "Is it over?" She didn't hear anything hitting them any longer.

Rick shook his head after looking at one of the displays. Debris was still coming; then he looked at a different display. "The cabin's exposed to space so it's not transmitting the sound of the hits we're taking." It wasn't over yet as far as he could see.

The thing he was most grateful for was that neither of them had been hit. Just the shuttle so far.

Kate watched them travel for a while and kept quiet. She was filled with questions but they needed to survive this first. She was determined not to make a pest of herself. It wasn't until Rick sat back and relaxed a bit did she start to question him. "How bad is it?" She knew their shuttle had holes.

"The only oxygen we have is provided by the suits. We'll be fine until we run out of them. But I think we have another problem. …If I read this right we're out of fuel and the engines have shut down." Rick sat forward a little so he could look over everything and try to make sense of it all.

"We're still spinning." It had never gotten bad but it was noticeable.

"Yeah and I'm thinking of letting continue to spin. I think I can stop it, but if I do I use up fuel." Rick tried to explain, "Different fuel, not engine fuel. If we want to turn we're going to need that fuel." He began searching for those readouts.

"Where are we?" They'd been headed for a planet. Maybe they could still reach it if it was close enough. Kate watched as Rick carefully pressed some buttons.

"The computer has no idea where we are. It might be because it's just a shuttle to be used in emergencies." Rick leaned back in his seat. "I don't know, Kate," he said tiredly.

Then he sat forward again and went back to pressing buttons. "We're within a system. We're not very deep into it but we're in one." Rick moved it to a different screen. "I'm reading eight or nine planets in total. The closest ones are gas giants as is the one nearest to us. …I think there's one on the far side of this system's sun that looks like it might be habitable. We're too far from it to know for sure. I need to figure out how to reach it and not fall into this system's sun." That appeared to be their first challenge.

"That would be good." Kate wasn't interested in dying.

"See if you can figure out what we have while I try and figure out how we can get there." He was a writer, not a pilot.

Since it might take her mind off of them about to die, she got out of her seat and began looking around.

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"How's it coming?" Kate was back after finding what she thought was everything.

"I think I've got us going the right way. At this speed it's going to take us a few days to get there." That was the good news.

Her eyes huge, she asked, "What's the bad news?" There was always bad news.

"I don't think I can land us. We don't have the fuel."

Kate slumped in her seat. "Great. …So we crash and die."

"What did you find?" Maybe she had found something that would help them.

"We've used 2 of the suits. I found 24 more, 2 of them were behind our seats. A couple of fire extinguishers that we don't need since there's no air." No oxygen, no fire, so no need for fire extinguishers.

"There's an inflatable raft if we crash into an ocean. One complete first-aid kit. It's full and pretty big but there's just the one. I also found a lot of food and water so we won't starve to death before we crash and die. There's also one emergency kit that's full of things. Some of it might be useful. Like tools, lights, and other things." That was just about all she had found. "OH, there are also what I think are parachutes behind our seats." Kate pointed to the space behind her.

"Chutes, huh?" Rick sort of liked that bit of news.

"Oh no, don't even think it! I'm not jumping, so forget it." As scary as all this had been, jumping so she could rely on some stupid chute to deploy and not collapse, then turn her into a pancake wasn't something she wanted to do.

"You would rather crash and die that way?" Rick asked. Besides, jumping with a chute sounded like fun, if not horribly dangerous. First they had to work out if they could even get out of the shuttle. For all he knew the lone door was too damaged to open.

Kate just sat there and fumed instead of answering him. It sounded a whole lot like she was going to die.

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They'd both found out that they could eat and drink and even use the lone toilet while still wearing their space suits. So they weren't going to starve or end up surrounded by their own…stuff.

They were each already on their fourth suit. They'd also learned that the suits would start to warn them when they were wearing out. The new one went on before the old one came off.

The only real problem was sleeping. The benches, while long, weren't all that comfortable. Their suits meant they didn't have to worry about freezing to death since they were exposed to open space.

Since Kate was bored she had actually taken the time to count all of the holes she could find in their shuttle. All 68 of them. Most were tiny but a few she could put her hand through. She hadn't bothered to count the holes that were in fuel storage or the engine bay. She wasn't that bored. "Where are we now?" She got up off the bench and joined Rick up front.

"We passed this system's sun a couple of hours ago. We're coming up on a rock that orbits too close to the sun to sustain life." Rick pointed at the screen. "We're headed for that dot in the distance."

All Kate saw was a white dot that was brighter than the others. "Can we live there?" She knew some planets had an atmosphere, they just weren't compatible for them. Either no oxygen or far too little.

"We're too far away to know that. We might not know until we actually get there. This is just a shuttle. Think of it as a dingy instead of a boat. A large life pod that we can actually fly instead of just drifting around in space." That had been one of the reasons Rick had chosen this ship. It had better safety systems than most. Rick brushes some of the frost off of something.

Except that even if they got there and could live there, they were going to crash and to prevent dying in that, they were going to have to jump.

Kate had been playing with it for the last couple of days. "What is this thing?" She was spinning the bracelet on her ankle, just barely. It fit kind of tight but didn't cut off her blood supply. Rick looked at his watch again and he could only just spin it as well. What he couldn't figure out was how it was attached. There didn't seem to be any way to take it off.

He shrugged. "I don't know. They said they were S.T.A.R.S. Maybe it has something to do with that."

"Robert seemed to really want us to have them." Then Kate put her hands over her mouth and felt the tears coming. "They're dead." They were new friends and Kate had really liked them. Their deaths were finally hitting her.

She was never going to get the picture out of her mind of Daphne's body crushed under a massive beam. That or seeing Robert with his lower body crushed under yet another beam with blood seemingly everywhere.

"I know, love. I know." Rick reached for her and held her. Thanks to his work he was mostly alone so making friends so easily was a nice change. Losing them so suddenly…wasn't. "We keep them to honor them." Rick didn't plan on ever taking the watch off.

"Yeah." Kate could agree to that easily.

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"Are those clouds?" They were a whole lot closer now than they ever had been.

"A lot of water, too," Rick noted.

"Have you tried talking to anyone?" Maybe they could send someone up to them so they didn't have to crash or even worse, jump.

Rick shook his head. "I think it's working but no one's answering. Still too far to see much. The planet has a natural satellite, but I don't see any space station so maybe it's either on the other side, too small to see, or they don't have one," he theorized.

"Great!" Kate slouched back in her seat. "How do we get home if we survive crashing? We don't even know where we are. How far away is home?" She didn't blame Rick, he was doing his best. But this trip was now the worst she'd ever had.

"I think we're going to have a busy day tomorrow." Rick was thinking about tomorrow and the speed at which they would be entering the planet's atmosphere. Then they would see.

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There were two more things about this shuttle that Kate was learning to really hate. One, thanks to the benches, she couldn't sleep with Rick. The closest she could get was on the other side of the seat back. The second was that since both of them were wearing space suits being that they didn't want to die, they couldn't have sex. She couldn't even kiss him and technically when she touched him she wasn't even touching him. She was touching the nearly invisible suit that they were both wearing.

The suit was basically an emblem or gem that they slapped onto their chests. Once activated they sent out a mostly invisible shield around them that was skin-tight. The device was the environmental system. It recycled the air and kept them warm. It was also the communication system.

When it came time to eat or use the bathroom it allowed something in or out by sealing around it as it passed. They could, if they wanted, spit at each other. It just would only hit their suit and not them.

So far, even after a few days, neither of them were really getting all that much sleep. It was uncomfortable since the benches were hard and it was lonely. They were both finding that they missed sleeping with each other.

Kate sat up abruptly. "I give up! I can't sleep. I miss you!" She had lived all these years without him and now suddenly she couldn't sleep without him next to her. It would be funny if it wasn't so damn serious.

Rick got up so he could sit next to her and put his arm around her. Kate could at least lean against him even if she didn't feel him.

They didn't even have anything to do. No games, no movies, no TV, no entertainment of any kind. Even the food, while it was keeping them alive, was rather bland since it was meant to have a shelf life of 50 years or more. The cruise ship company probably hadn't changed it out since the ship entered service. Since there were only 2 of them they did have a lot of it so they weren't going to starve.

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The time had come. They needed to start to enter the atmosphere of this planet even if they weren't talking to them. "Ready?" Rick had worked out how to make the shuttle pitch down so they could land which was something he was worried about. All they had were thrusters and he feared they needed the engines to actually land.

"Yes, please." Kate was seriously ready to get out of this shuttle. "Um, what are those?" she pointed and looked at Rick.

Rick had seen them and didn't really have an answer. Though it did look familiar. Why was it surrounding the entire planet? They only had one choice, so Rick started down.

At first they didn't notice since there was no sound. It wasn't until their window took a hit that it became obvious. "It's space junk! We're going to be holed again." That was why Rick recognized it. It was as if their destroyed ship was hitting them all over again.

"OH, SHIT!" Kate cursed then saw something. "RICK!" She pointed at a brand new hole that didn't used to be there.

Then it got worse. "OW!" Kate pressed her hand to her leg and when she lifted it it was dripping blood. "WELL DAMN!" She'd been hit.

"OW!" It was Rick's turn. "OW! Bloody hell!" He took one in the arm and another at his hip. "We're going to get killed." He adjusted his course and pushed them into a deeper descent. They needed out of this suicide zone as fast as possible.

"OW! Babe!" She wanted it to stop before one of these damn things hit something far more critical.

"I'm trying." A few seconds later their damaged window took another hit and what was left of it shattered. Then it got worse. They started to enter the upper atmosphere which created a fireball at the front of their shuttle. Since they didn't have a window to stop the fire from getting inside it had them up and running for the back of the shuttle.

"We're going to fall apart soon." Rick was really worried now. The fire was outside and inside. The outside could take it, but the inside couldn't. It was beginning to burn up from the inside out and take them with it.

"We're jumping as soon as we can." Rick wanted out before they couldn't any longer.

"NO!" Jumping was the last thing she wanted to do. She wanted to land and walk away.

"No choice. Put this on." Rick handed her one of the two chutes that they had. They had moved everything to the back so they could go out the door they had come in through.

Rick checked hers while Kate checked his. He connected one bag to her harness and one bag to his. "This one is yours; try and hold onto it."

They both noticed that the fire was mostly gone by now. The wind had put it out, but that also showed them just how much shuttle was left. "We're jumping!" Rick picked up his bag and hit the button to open the door except it didn't open. The power was gone.

He desperately yanked open a panel and pulled the lever inside it. That blew the tiny charges and blew the door off. However it also caused a large wind to blow through and almost carried them out the now open door.

Rick grabbed his bag before it blew out the door. "Jump!" He wanted Kate to go first so he could keep an eye on her. She just looked at him while pleading with him to come up with some other plan.

"We're crashing, not landing, so we jump. …Both hands." Rick made sure she had both hands around her bag, holding it tight to her body. Then he pushed her out the door.

"RIIICK!" Kate screamed as she started to fall. Rick put both arms around his bag and jumped. She had no idea what she was supposed to do.

"It's automatic, you just have to fall." It was until the chute was deployed. Then they would need to try and direct where they wanted to land while not losing their bags.

"SHIIIT!" Kate was falling and while she didn't actually feel anything thanks to the suit, the ground was getting closer and closer. That was when she found that flying, which was what she was calling it now, was sort of fun.

Kate was lower so her chute deployed first and Rick watched her shoot up past him like she had been shot out of something. He also heard her screaming. Then suddenly it was his turn. While he didn't scream, he did grunt loudly.

Now they were just floating down. "Babe?" They were going to fall into water since it looked to be everywhere.

Rick had noticed and he'd noticed something else. "Hang onto your bag, reach up with your right hand, and pull the strap. Look to your right."

That had Kate looking though she was still holding onto her bag with both hands. To her right she saw a series of islands out in the middle of water. Since landing there was better than landing in water and drowning, she held onto her bag, raised her right arm, and pulled.

It was actually working! Kate had also figured out that pulling had her falling a little faster so land was coming up a little faster. Though at the moment they were both still over water.

"I think you can stop pulling," Rick told her. So Kate put her arm back around her bag as she watched the ground getting closer.

They both saw a lot of trees though they also saw a road. "I see houses." Three to be precise. Two of which looked to be pretty big and totally surrounded by trees. A lot of those trees looked odd. They didn't have bark and the leaves which were only at the top were really long and skinny.

"SHIIIT!" Kate barely went over a tree and saw that she was going to land in a large open space if you could call what was likely 20 feet by 20 feet large. It was paved.

Kate hit the ground and ended up rolling. She lost control of her bag and her chute fell beyond her. She stood up instantly and looked up for Rick. She saw him and he wasn't going to land where she was. She took off the harness, picked up her bag, and ran toward Rick.

Rick had watched her land, roll, and lose her bag. His eyes were on where he was going to land. It looked like a road though it was narrow and had trees lining both sides.

He hit the road and his chute landed in a tree. He didn't need to roll but he did drop his bag. He was just getting his harness off when Kate ran up to him. "You okay, babe?" She couldn't lose him, she just couldn't. It would kill her.

Rick was smiling. "Can we do that again?" Save for the shuttle falling apart around them, losing their ship, and watching their friends die, it had been fun.

Kate couldn't believe him, so she hit his arm as hard as she could. "Definitely not!"

They both looked okay save for some dried blood. "Where are we?" It was pretty and very, very green. The sky was blue with just a few clouds and since they still had their suits on they didn't know if it was safe.

Looking around they both saw something that had them walking toward it since it had writing on it. Rick read aloud what it said. "Realtor. Hannah Siris. 808-555-1191. Pacific Properties, Princeville. 808-555-2040, ext. 1. I think that means it's for sale." Maybe they'd caught a break.

"Except we don't have any money. I certainly don't." She was standing there holding her bag while wearing a bikini, a wrap around her waist, and flip flops that she'd somehow managed to keep on her feet.

"Yeah." Rick didn't either. He didn't even have any identification on him. All he had, like Kate probably had, was his room card. Neither of them really needed to carry anything else. Anything they bought onboard would be charged to their room. Pay for everything when they left the ship.

"We need to find out if we can breathe." This was their first major challenge wherever they were.

Kate stopped him before he could touch it. "What if we can't?"

"We've already used up a few of the suits. We can only last a few more days. We're stuck here until we figure out where we are," Rick responded. He touched her face and hit his suit.

Kate watched a cascade effect retreat into the device exposing Rick to the elements. Then she watched him take in a deep breath.

"I can breathe and it actually smells pretty good. Sort of like after a fresh rain. That and some flowers." Rick took another deep breath.

"Shit." It meant she had to do it, too. Kate hit the device and felt it withdraw by crawling over her exposed skin. Unlike Rick she took a tentative breath. Since that one didn't kill her, she took a deep one. "Nice!"

There was a house in front of them, one behind them, and she thought she saw one they both had flown over closer to the water. "Now what? No money, no identification, and we don't know where we are."

"I think I can fix that," a new voice suddenly said.

Both of them spun in place since they didn't see anyone else. "Who's there?" Rick called and began to wonder if the locals were invisible.

Suddenly someone they could almost see through popped into existence. "My name is Jack. Jill and I will help you all we can." He was clad in a dress suit and was rather handsome. His dark gray jacket closed asymmetrically with a press-to-close closure. His slacks were tapered and somewhat tight fitting. And he wore a bright orange v-necked shirt.

Equally sudden, a woman showed up out of the blue. "I am Jill. We will do all we can." She was stunning and was dressed in a very revealing and beautiful dress that hit her mid-thigh, had a side slit from the hem to her hip, was fitted, sleeveless, and had a v-neckline as well. It was a deep metallic purple that changed colors to a blue-green when she moved. It almost looked like it was painted on her body. Just like him they could almost see right through her.


	8. Chapter 8

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 8_

"Who are you?" Rick had heard both of them and while he'd seen 3D images before, these 2 were people which was different. That and they looked almost real, save for he could sort of see through them to some extent.

"Jack." He reached out and almost touched the watch Rick was wearing.

"Jill." She bent down and pointed at the ankle bracelet Kate was wearing.

Rick and Kate were speechless for a moment. "Robert and Daphne. You're both S.T.A.R.S." Rick thought he understood.

Jack corrected him. "Technically, no. Robert and Daphne were S.T.A.R.S. members. We are computers assigned to assist them in anything they did."

"Sadly they are both gone now." Rick and especially Kate thought they saw the start of tears. "Robert chose you so now we will help you all we can in anything you do," Jill said.

"Do you know where we are?" Kate wanted to know their chances of getting home from here.

Jack looked at Jill. "Scanning," Jack said. "This planet has a central data system. They call it an Internet. Scanning."

"We are in what these people call the Sol system. It is a minor arm of what they call the Milky Way Galaxy. If they are correct, we are approximately 366 light years from home. Midpoint in a minor arm of the galaxy." Jill was just as connected as Jack was.

"That sounds bad." Kate had stopped at the number she heard. "Is it bad?"

"If we had a ship that had FTL it would take us over a year to travel to home," Jill told them.

"OH SHIT!" They were stuck. "We don't have a ship anymore. It blew up." Kate threw her free arm up into the air.

"I am afraid it is worse than that. This planet has very rudimentary space travel. They have made it to their natural satellite and landed on it. However that was approximately 40 years ago, they have not been back since," Jack reported.

Rick hung his head. "We're screwed." It couldn't get worse.

"They have only sent out probes to a few places since then. They landed in 1969 and this is the year 2019," Jack said.

"But this planet's surrounded by junk." Rick should know, they were both hurt and missing one shuttle partly because of it.

"They have a large number of satellites in orbit for several reasons. Each launch they do using simple chemicals leaves debris in orbit. There are over 500,000 pieces in orbit. Most are tiny though a few are larger and easy even for them to track," Jill added.

Kate leaned up against Rick. There was no way home and they were on a planet so far from home it would take a miracle. "Now what, babe? No way home, no money, no clothes, just what was on the shuttle." They had almost nothing.

"We can fix all that," Jack asserted.

"You need a taxi to get to the local DMV so you can get photo ID, then to a bank to get money. If you want this place since it is for sale, we can arrange for a tour. You can go shopping for clothes. We are here to help," Jill explained.

"Live _here!"_ Kate pointed. It was lusciously green, smelled great, she saw three separate buildings and they looked interesting. "At least we understand the language." Which suddenly made question how that was possible. It should be impossible. These people were so far away it _was_ impossible.

"We are translating everything for you. Everything you see we translate. We will be doing the same for the language. It will happen so fast that no one will notice," Jill said.

"Okay." Rick liked that. "Do they even look like us?" For all he knew this race was a race of ants or lizards or whatever.

"They call themselves the human race. There are some minor differences between you and them. I would suggest that you do not require hospital care," Jack advised.

"What do you think?" Rick looked at Kate for support.

"You mean besides having a computer strapped to my ankle?" Kate chuckled softly. "Do we have a choice?"

Rick didn't see one and knew they needed the help. "So what's first?"

"You need to start walking. You need money you do not have to take a taxi. To get the money you need identification. To get that you need to get to a DMV. So you walk. …That way," Jack indicated and disappeared, followed by Jill.

Both of them moaned and started walking, then Rick had an idea. He began walking toward the house that was behind them that Kate had almost landed on.

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It took some explaining and a whole lot of lying but they were now standing inside the local DMV after being driven there in something neither of them recognized. It was ancient in the extreme. Even the city or town or whatever it was looked old. At least they had a number in hand and were sitting there waiting their turn.

They'd already given the bank the same story they were going to tell these people. Even though they had the account number, they had no identification so they couldn't get complete access to their money. They did, however, have enough to get by with to get new ID, money to eat, and money to get a taxi with so they could go home.

When they got their IDs they could come back and they would be given temporary debit and credit cards while permanent ones were sent to their address on record.

Rick and Kate gave them the same story they had given the guy that got them there as well as the bank. Then they watched her use what they took to be a computer, even if it was an antique, to look for something. They both prayed that Jack and Jill had done their jobs. They'd explained that they could hack any computer this planet had without exception. So they should find a background for them. They'd already done that for the bank.

They took pictures, filled out the forms as Jack and Jill each told them to, using an address that they had no idea of its location.

It took almost 2 hours but they were walking away with temporary pieces of paper that said Drivers License, State of Hawaii. It had their names, address, dates of birth, license numbers and their photos. A permanent one would be mailed to their address.

"What address is this?" Kate looked it over. 2620 Kauapea Road, Unit C, Kilauea, HI 96754

Jack answered her question. "That is the house that is for sale where you landed. It is being offered for 6.8 million United States Dollars."

It was just a number to her. "Is that a lot?"

"Unfortunately at the moment I have no way to convert United State dollars into deltas for you. Not that it matters. You presently have twice that amount in a local bank account," Jack replied.

"Please tell me you didn't steal all that." Kate didn't want to be a thief. She was in pre-law and didn't want to be a wanted woman on a strange planet.

"Of course not. Daphne and Robert were S.T.A.R.S. so we cannot steal. Technically the money never existed so we did not steal it." Jack tried to sound a little pissed or disappointed that they would even ask such a thing.

"Sorry." Kate heard his tone of voice. "Back to the bank then, so we can get money and go shopping. I'm tired of wearing a bikini everywhere." Not that anyone seemed to care, even if all the men who saw her were looking at her like she was naked. It wasn't even the bikini with a thong.

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It took most of the day but they had identification cards although they were temporary. They had local money that was paper with numbers on them which was different. They had temporary cards to buy things with and the taxi had just dropped them off outside of a shopping complex and told they could buy clothes there as well as shoes.

"Let's go shopping, babe." It was something she liked doing and she was interested in what this planet had to offer. Hopefully something better than what she'd seen on the locals so far. They both had to admit that these people looked a lot like their race. They were a little taken aback by people that didn't appear to have any eyelids. Though they did have people with dark skin.

Walking around the open air shopping center Kate saw all kinds of things. It was just that they were both still walking around with the bags from the shuttle.

"Clothes, Kate, jewelry later. We don't even have a place to sleep tonight." They didn't yet own the house that was on their IDs.

Kate moaned but he was right. So she left that shop and went looking for clothes they could wear.

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One taxi ride later they learned that the cost of taxis around here was expensive based on how much their clothes cost. Still they each had a plastic card in hand and were standing outside of a room in a hotel that Jack had told them about.

It was a villa with a bedroom, living room, dining room, and kitchen. Neither of them had much hope of finding something modern like they were used to.

The Westin Princeville Ocean Front Villas. Rick slid his card and opened the door. First up was the kitchen. It had reddish-colored cabinets and silver-colored appliances. It was small and only 1 of them could stand in there at the same time. Just past the kitchen was a table that seated 6. It was the same color as the cabinets as were the chairs. The floor here was some kind of beige and white carpet while the kitchen had white tile floors.

Next was the living room. It had the same carpet, dark beige sofa and chair, coffee table the same color as the dining room table.

"It's disgusting." Kate hated it. It didn't have an ounce of color anywhere you looked.

"We're only here until we can move into the house…that we haven't even seen yet." Buying that house with money they hadn't had until Jack and or Jill got it for them, had at least him worried.

The bedroom wasn't any better than the rest of the place. "It's at least big enough to live in. Bigger than the shuttle was. Almost as big as our cabin was." Rick then pointed out its best part. "And it does have a bed."

Kate kicked off her flip flops and undid the tie of her top. "Strip, baby, we're making love." She'd done without long enough and they had a bed!

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Rick was getting really tired of paying the taxi driver his fee to take them places. They were to meet the realtor at their house that was the address on their temporary identification.

"We're going to need a car." Rick didn't see a way out of it.

Kate rolled her eyes. "We don't even know how to drive," she said just as she saw a woman exit the house.

"Someone taught _them._ That someone can teach us," Rick insisted.

"Hi, I'm Hannah." She was relatively pretty and had gorgeous black hair that was longer than Kate's.

"Rick and Kate. Thank you for this." Rick had learned that people here shook hands.

"Of course, I'm happy to show you this house." Rick and Kate noticed that she spoke their language and that she understood theirs since that was what they were speaking. They knew what Jack, or was it Jill, had told them. Like the others she didn't seem to notice. Not that either of them really understood how that worked.

"There are 3 buildings in total. Over there is the 2 car garage. It has a workshop in the back if you're into that. This is the main building. It sits on 2.1 acres of land, most of which is behind the main building and isn't developed. Though there is a large area of grass in back for kids or dogs." She went inside and Rick and Kate followed.

"The wood in this house is almost all locally sourced. Teak, ebony, ipe, koa, mango, and shipped in from California, fir and redwood. Two bedrooms, 2 full bathrooms, and 2 half baths, 3,639 square feet." They stepped into the foyer and a seating area with windows on three sides. The stairs curved up to an open landing with a railing.

"The first half bath." She opened the door to show it.

"Wood floors and high cathedral wood ceilings. Almost 30 feet at the peak with ceiling fans. A seating area with operable windows. This is the kitchen for whoever does the cooking." She took them there next, though both of them were looking out the doors that looked like all windows.

Kate spoke up, "That would be me." She actually stepped into the kitchen to look it over.

"The cooktop is propane fired. There's a wall oven, dishwasher, double bowl sink, a brand new refrigerator/freezer, and a tiered wood ceiling with ceiling fan. This is your pantry." She opened the small door and Kate looked in and saw that it was empty though it had shelving on 2 sides.

"No food. I see furniture everywhere." Didn't someone live there?

"The house is being sold furnished. It's cheaper for the owner to leave the furniture behind than to move it especially if they're moving to the mainland or even another island. You'll need to get your own small appliances, plates, glasses, silverware, and such.

"Bar seating for 4." She saw where Rick was looking so went there next.

"These doors open all the way. They're bifold doors." She demonstrated by opening them.

"WOW!" Kate was finally impressed. The wood floors and ceiling had been nice but it wasn't what she was used to. This, however, was impressive.

Then all 3 ended up outside. "This is the pool, soaking spa, waterfalls, and stream. There's a hammock. Beyond this is the large grassy area, picnic benches, and a fire pit that all overlook the ocean beyond. You can see the beach."

She saw both of them smiling now. They hadn't seemed overly impressed until now.

"There are patio areas with seating, umbrellas, and lounge chairs. Over here is the outbuilding that houses the outdoor cooking area with seating for 8. There's a ceiling fan and it's completely open except for the thatch roof." She saw them still smiling.

"Out here is the grassy area, the picnic tables, the fire pit, and this is the site's totem. The 4 heads are for health, good luck, happiness, and long life. It was made by a local craftsman and is a priceless one of a kind.

"This way leads to the other outbuilding." She took them back to the main house and then up a trail that actually went up; it was narrow and surrounded by plants and flowers and trees.

At the end of the trail was a small building that was almost completely open. Two of the walls didn't even have glass doors like the main house had. Inside they found a dining table that sat 8. There was a small seating area that had a rattan sofa and 2 chairs that had white seating cushions.

Up a couple of steps was another seating area but this one had a fireplace. "The fireplace is gas fired using propane and this space is basically the main living room. The ceiling is wood while the floor is slate tiles." They saw the ceiling was more roof than ceiling. It was sloped and had a wood interior.

"We need to go back to the main building so you can see the 2 bedrooms and the attached bathrooms. Oh, there's a half bath out here." She showed them that first.

The second bedroom was a little small and had wood floors like the main floor. The same wood ceiling though this time the ceiling was coffered using wood beams. Then they moved to the master bedroom. This room was much larger. It had the same wood floors and the same wood ceiling as the main floor. There was also a small seating area.

"There are 2 more spaces I need to show you." She started walking and stayed in the main building. They walked into a different space. It was just above the main area and looked down onto the first floor and was just off of the curved stairs.

Here there were the same wood floors and the same ceiling though this time it was peaked in the middle. There were 3 bench type seating areas with cushions and lots of throw pillows. And yet another ceiling fan that seemed to be everywhere. There was a coffee table that had throw pillows under it to sit on.

"One more thing." She walked outside and started down a paved ramp. "This is your private access to the beach. This is 1 of 2 waterfalls along the way." It and the stream were literally right next to the walkway.

"And this is the beach. This beach is shared with the other 3 that make up the complex. The entrance as you saw is gated and manned 24 hours a day. The stone totems out front of the entrance are also one of a kind.

"There is an HOA of $1,000 a month. It covers maintenance of the grounds of all three houses as well as the guard's wages. Everything else is up to you. Pool maintenance, electricity, filling the propane tanks, housing insurance and water. There's no A/C since in this area the climate never drops below 70 and never makes it above 85. The ceiling fans should be all you need. Oh, there's a washer and dryer in a laundry room that we missed. I can show you the garage, if you wish. Any questions?" It was a beautiful place and these two would love it if they didn't have too many kids since it only had 2 bedrooms.

"Can you give us a minute?" Not that they really needed it.

"Of course, take all the time you need. I'm going to go lock up and meet you at the front door." Hannah walked away.

Rick took Kate's hand. "It's not what either of us are used to, but so far that I've seen, this planet is nowhere near our technology."

Kate was willing to agree about the technology part. However, this place was vastly superior to the apartment she shared with her dad. "Our IDs have this address so do we really have a choice?"

Jack answered her question. "We can easily change that if you do not like it."

Kate wasn't used to hearing someone's disembodied voice. "Okay, before we take this too far. Are you awake all the time? Like did you watch us make love last night? What about when I was on the toilet?" Was her privacy a thing of the past with Jill wrapped around her ankle?

"We partially shut down or close our eyes during those times," Jill assured her. "Just like we did for Daphne and Robert."

Kate began to feel tears again. She was still having trouble with the knowledge that she'd lost a friend.

"Daphne really liked you, Kate. I do not think she would be upset that I was now attached to you and helping you. I promise to do all I can for you."

"I say we keep it. We are going to need to go shopping for what we still don't have. Plus learn how to drive and get a car. We also need to talk about just what the pair of you are capable of." Rick didn't see a good alternative to not taking this house. It wasn't that much space to take care of. Plus if they didn't need to take care of the grounds that was a big help. He didn't have a green thumb.

Kate nodded. "I like it. I think I saw a spot that had jets like the hot tub on the ship."

Jill corrected her. "They call it a Jacuzzi here."

"All right. Let's find out what it takes to buy a house, followed by how to drive a car, then figure out which car because it looks like they have a lot to choose from." Rick had seen different models and different colors everywhere they went.

"And you two are going to tell us everything!" Kate wasn't sure if she wanted to be stuck with a talking ankle bracelet. Even if it did get them a house, money, and maybe a lot more. Then there was how to honor Daphne and Robert.


	9. Chapter 9

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 9_

Using Jack and Jill, Rick and Kate found a site that would teach them how to drive. It was 30 hours of classwork and 6 hours of road course spread out over a week. The instructors supplied the classroom and the car. The students purchased all the material not included in the fee. At the end of the week they took the 6 hour driving test over 3 days at 2 hours per day.

Both Rick and Kate found that each time they tried to answer a question incorrectly they heard the sound of someone clearing their throat.

In the end they both got 100% on their written tests and passed their driving test. This was also when they found out that cars came with either automatic or manual transmissions, meaning they had to do all the work.

"We're getting a car with an automatic," Rick was instructed since Kate didn't want to fool with gears. Especially trying to figure out which one she was in or which one she should be in.

They were also finding out just how long it took to buy a home even if it was an all cash offer, since they had no a need for a mortgage. As a result when they finished their driving test and went out looking for a new car to purchase using cash, they still hadn't moved into the house that was listed on their drivers licenses. Even if they had only just learned how to drive.

They were back in their hotel room. "Do we need these cell phones this place talks about?" Rick was questioning Kate to see if she was interested. However, Jack answered instead.

"We can handle all of your communications. Though if you decide you want a paper copy of something you will need to get a printer that has Wi-Fi capability," Jack explained.

"Guess that answers that question." They didn't need to bother with the primitive things.

They'd already learned that Jack and Jill could access any computer that they could connect to with ease. They either needed to connect because of Wi-Fi, their call was answered, or they were directly connected which wasn't going to be possible since this planet didn't make the cables needed.

"Any computer?" Rick inquired, wondering if they actually meant any, _any _ computer.

"Yes, any computer," Jill said patiently. "Their idea of protection is a joke. We can get in and they will never notice." They'd already proved that the DMV, banks, and other places couldn't stop them.

"We can also scan anything that is within range and provide an evaluation. If it is electronic we can also make alterations in how it functions. The new cars that are available on this planet are an example. If all it takes is a computer modification we can do that. Modify any software that this planet has," Jack explained.

"We also have a tremendous amount of information that is stored inside us," Jill added.

Kate instantly jumped all over that one. "Does that mean you can build a ship to get us home?"

Jill shot her down. "No, I am afraid not. We are computers, not machines."

"Well crap!" She really wanted to go home. Between being home and here she would choose home every time. Her thoughts wandered toward home and… "What are they telling my dad?" She was sure they were telling him that she was dead.

"My mother!" Rick collapsed onto the sofa as he thought about that. Their families were going to be in pain.

Jack gave her hope just as quickly. "We cannot build one but we can design one."

"We'd have to build it?" Surely Jack wasn't serious? What did they know about making a space ship?

"It will take you years to build it. Especially using what is available locally. We will need to scan everything that is available on this planet first to verify that it is possible." It wasn't a guarantee but they might be able to.

"You said it was a year in FTL. You really expect us to be able to build something that big?" Kate didn't want to hope but she couldn't help it. But a ship that they could live in for a year sounded like a big ship.

"Until we have time to design it we cannot answer that," Jack responded. Kate groaned. She'd had hope and Jack crushed it.

"Give us both time and we can answer that question. Be warned, you two may have to do most, if not all, of the work. This planet does not have FTL capability yet. We cannot give it to them by designing a ship with FTL for you, have them discover it, and get copies of the plans," Jill warned.

Kate looked at Rick with pain written on her face and pleading in her eyes. "Start working on the design. Tell us what you need and if we can find it we'll buy it," Rick said to them.

"Understood," Jack answered.

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Based on availability for where they lived and what Jack and Jill could find as the best car that they might have need of, Rick and Kate found themselves at a dealership for something called Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram.

The salesman was more than happy to help them and it was presently Kate's turn at a test drive.

Based on Jack and Jill's suggestion they were looking at a 2019 Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4x4. It had LED lighting front and rear, an 8-speed automatic transmission to appease Kate and not wanting to drive a manual. Anti-spin rear differential, sky one touch power top since it was a hard top convertible, rear window wiper and defroster and all weather floor mats as installed options. It had a total price of $46,755. Though they both cared about the cost they were slowly starting to learn that what Jack and Jill could do was a really good thing.

They'd also learned that where they lived was prone to sudden rain showers. Some lasted only minutes while others lasted hours and could flood roads. Thankfully today was a dry day.

Since they both liked it they bought it using cash. A debit card, technically. Jack and Jill kept close watch on their money so the threat of anyone stealing their credit or hacking into the bank to steal money was nonexistent.

"This seat belt is a little uncomfortable." Kate was squirming a little on the drive back to their hotel. Then they could check out, go to the real estate agent's office, and pay for their new house since they'd already stopped at the bank to collect the cashier's check.

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"Here are the keys, the place is yours. I'm sure you two will be very happy there." They had signed every piece of paper presented to them, which had been a lot, handed over their check, and now had keys.

"We have a home!" Rick was actually a little giddy. It was several times larger than his place back home and considerably larger than Kate's place back home. Even if it was a little rustic for their combined tastes.

Then just to show them what the weather was like in their new home, the skies opened up on them just as they reached the front gate to gain access to their little community. Still the rain didn't dampen their enthusiasm at actually having a home. Rick did have to fumble for the wiper controls so he could see where he was going.

They had the remote for the garage though Jack and Jill had already scanned it and opened it for them. But the garage was not attached so getting from the garage to the main house meant getting wet.

So with bags in hand they ran for it and put the key in the lock. "Can we change that?" Kate asked once they were inside. "I mean even my place wasn't this archaic." They had to use a real key for goodness sake!

"Scanning," Jill answered quickly. "They do have more modern options available. However I am not finding anyone locally to install it. They may need to come from a neighboring island called Oahu, specifically a city called Honolulu. It will simply increase the costs."

"Great, can you schedule it, please? …If that's okay." Kate looked at Rick.

"I like the idea so it's fine by me. Have him set up motion sensors over the entire property if you two can access them and it will make you more comfortable." Rick didn't mind; it was Kate's house, too, after all.

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It was still raining a couple of hours later so going shopping was out as was using the pool. Since they had only just gained possession of the place they didn't have any TV service. And they were expecting someone from the local propane company to come out and fill their various tanks since no one could tell them how much they presently had.

They searched the kitchen. "No food, babe." The pantry was empty as was the refrigerator. She also didn't find anything to cook with. There were no utensils of any kind. The house came furnished but that was just the furniture and bedding.

"Sounds like we need to go shopping for a lot of things." They had nothing to clean anything with. Then a thought hit him. "Jack, does this world even have robots? Maybe something to help clean with perhaps?" It was just the two of them.

"Scanning. …They have small ones meant to clean floors but that is all. They do have systems to keep the pool clean that can be purchased and installed. To cover the entirety of the wood floors in all areas you will need a number of devices." The little robots only covered so many square feet of floor space before retreating to the charging station and dumping the trash they collected into a collection device.

"Great! Order whatever we need and see if they can be delivered. We can install them if we have to. How's the design of the space ship coming?" He knew Kate was going to inquire about that soon if she hadn't questioned Jill already.

Rick also noticed that he was already adjusting to having a talking wristwatch attached to his arm. It actually felt like a touch of home. Something above sticks and stones that this planet represented.

"We have reached a conclusion. You will not be able to construct a ship that will be large enough for you to travel for a year. If it is built on the ground you do not have the space and it will weigh too much. In addition you do not have access to reach orbit to build it there." It was just far too complicated to construct anything in orbit.

Rick sighed heavily. "What you're saying is we're stuck here. That's not going to make Kate happy." If she wasn't happy he wasn't going to be happy because she was going to make sure he wasn't happy. Misery loved company.

"No, I did not say that. We are working on a design that you might be able to build if you can get the help to build it. It will be too much for just the two of you. It will be relatively small, about the size of a local delivery truck, more or less. It will require the passengers to go into hibernation to make the journey, though. It will mean the construction of a pod for each person. It will also require the purchase of selective gases.

"All of this will require assistance. We are also thinking you will need to purchase land to have it built on. Someplace that has power, open space, space for deliveries, and space for storage of materials. We are already looking into that as well," Jack explained.

"So you think it can be done using local materials?" This planet had enough trouble just getting into orbit let alone out of this system and to a distance system.

"It will be dangerous and we need to discuss that before construction begins or even before you purchase the land to build it on. However, yes, we think it can be done using local materials. …Barely." Thus far it was the biggest challenge they had been asked to do. Daphne and Roberts had never asked something like this of them.

"Finish your overall design then we can sit down and discuss it," Rick said.

"Understood," Jack replied.

"Babe, can we go shopping now? I, for one, don't want to starve to death on this planet." They had a lot to do still to live in their new home.

"Let me get the fob and we can go." Rick started searching his pockets for the device.

Jack spoke up, "That device is no longer necessary. Either of us can now start the car or prevent someone from stealing it."

Rick thought he shouldn't be surprised and yet he was a little. Having Jack and Jill was going to be different. Something that was going to take some getting used to.

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It took them a little longer than they thought. That and the closest grocery store, called a market, had a great deal of fresh produce that Kate went nuts over, collecting all she could. Finding all of the smaller appliances so they could open cans, mix ingredients, make toast, and others turned out to be the hardest part.

Then they found out that they had to take their trash to a common area that got picked up weekly. It was part of the HOA fee they were paying.

"You cooking in here or out there?" Rick pointed to the outdoor cooking area as he watched Kate begin to collect what she needed.

"I forgot about out there." They had more than one kitchen which was going to take some getting used to. "Help me and I can cook out there. I need to see if there's a cooler out there as well." They had to get used to their new home.

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Outside turned out to only have a grill and a mini cooler. Kate was willing to grill it all so they didn't need to carry it all back into the kitchen. Since the rain was gone and the sun was out they were eating at the picnic table out near the fire pit.

"Do we need more than one car?" Kate inquired. The garage would fit two cars and there two of them.

"Do you want a second car?" Rick fired back at her.

"Are we going to do this every time?" Kate countered.

Rick out right laughed. It wasn't really a fight but it could turn into one. "Talk with Jill and we can go looking after we're done eating."

"YES! Thank you." Kate wanted at least _some _ independence.

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"Is this the right car?" Kate had already done her test drive and the salesperson and Rick were inside the dealership. It was very different from the car Rick had gotten for them. Her test drive had proven that it was a very powerful machine based on the test drive she had done with the Jeep.

"My apologies if I have directed you to the wrong car. This is the only one of its kind this dealership or any of them in Hawaii have. It is a car that I am certain Daphne would have selected." Jill hadn't gotten used to Kate yet so she was selecting something she was sure Daphne would have.

"Then I'll take it. We also need to find that leg machine." Daphne had gotten her started on strengthening her legs and she was going to complete that task. Not just for herself but for Daphne as well.

Kate had chosen a 2019 Ford Mustang Shelby GT350, velocity blue in color. She didn't see any convertibles and so far hadn't yet seen one so she wasn't distracted by one. And while the top on the Jeep could be removed, it really wasn't all that easy to accomplish.

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Kate was happy as Jill lowered the garage door with her new car inside the garage. She could now go where she wanted, when she wanted, and didn't need to coordinate with Rick for the Jeep.

"Thanks, babe." Kate raised up on her toes and quickly kissed him. She considered their situation. They had a few more clothes even if there weren't all that many. They had food, two cars, IDs, money, and a place to live. A place they had barely scratched.

They were walking toward the main building. "Have Jack and Jill come up with anything on how to get us home?" Like Rick she wasn't used to talking to Jill directly.

Jill answered her query. "We have a plan but still need to work out several of the details. The first problem we think we might have a solution for is where to build it. It cannot be built in space so it needs to be built on the ground."

"Okay." Kate was still listening as Rick closed the front door.

Jack tried not to get their hopes up. "We have identified a potential location, however we are still searching."

"Can we go see?" They'd only just gotten home but Kate really wanted to go home or at least see progress in getting there.

"Sure." Rick turned around and headed for the front door. Jack and Jill were their GPS so long as they listened to them and went where the screen that they each would hack to show them.

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"HOLY SHIT!" Rick stopped and they got out. "It's enormous!" It also looked old and run down in the extreme. So much so he wasn't sure it was safe to be inside it. "What is it?"

"It is an abandoned sugar plantation. It used to have electricity so it should be possible to add a generator and use electricity to power the devices you will need. There is plenty of storage space for materials. Since it is abandoned you should be able to purchase it and build the ship inside the main area," Jack explained.

Kate was ready to take back her concerns about just how big this ship was going to have to be. If did leave one obstacle. "Hibernation, huh?"

"We believe once the ship is launched and you have entered FTL, you would retreat into the ship and enter the hibernation pods. We still have a lot of design obstacles to solve. Once you secure this site for construction you should be able to purchase things. Have them shipped to the island and then delivered here," Jill added since they were still a long way off from having a complete design.

Jack tried to make it clearer. "Hibernation will solve the space problem. As well as the environmental problems. Food, water, oxygen. If it works correctly you will leave here, go to sleep, and wake up somewhere else with no memory of the time in-between."

It sounded dangerous to Kate. It was just that she was the one urging for this. "Build it ourselves." She looked at the giant building again.

"You can hire people to help you. You are going to need master welders for much of it. One of our major problems is going to be power generation. Keeping the FTL drive operational for a year while maintaining power to the hibernation pods. All using what is available on this planet at this time," Jill said since they were not yet even close to starting construction.

"Keep in mind that we will be with you in the hibernation pods. In essence we will be in hibernation as well and unable to help if there is a malfunction," Jack clarified.

"Furthermore," Jill continued, "if you are brought out of hibernation too soon, how do we get you back into hibernation once the problem is solved? …If it can be solved. You are going to be out in deep space all on your own,"

Kate groaned. "You're sure we can't just send a message and have someone come get us instead?" Surely that was easier and faster.

Unfortunately Jack had to shoot her down. "This planet does not have the capability for FTL communications. To even make such a device would require technology this planet does not yet have. Or the technology to make several of the pieces. I am afraid it is impossible. FTL communication is just far too advanced for this planet."

"I guess we build then." Rick looked at the building again. It was certainly big enough to hide what they were building. He had little doubt that they were going to have to hire people to help them. That and equipment if this ship was that big.

"Sounds like fun." Rick began to chuckle but what he really wanted to do was cry.


	10. Chapter 10

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 10_

_3 months later_

The owner of the abandoned sugar plantation didn't have the place listed as being for sale and at first rejected their offer to buy it. Since money wasn't really an option Rick doubled his first offer then the owner accepted. Especially after the state had learned that someone new wanted it and might actually do something with the space instead of letting it sit there and decay.

Rick and Kate were presently sitting in their Jeep waiting for their first delivery to show up. They were finding out just what it took to buy things and have the goods shipped to Hawaii. They were going to eventually learn that 3 months was actually fast for a delivery of any size.

Since they weren't there yet Rick got out and walked around the space a little. It was when Jack gave him warning that trucks were within his scanning range that he ran to the largest pair of doors this place had.

Kate was already there and together they opened the doors and waited. Then 3 trucks carrying 3 large cargo containers showed up and stopped. Each driver got out and talked with Rick and Kate and then looked over the interior space to decide who went where so they could offload the containers.

Eventually Rick and Kate were just standing there looking at the cargo containers filled with stuff. "Now comes the next challenge: finding and hiring people to help us. It's going to take us a lot of time just to empty these if it's just us." Rick was pretty sure of that.

Kate looked at the empty space and at their 3 containers. She leaned against him. "Just the first 3 of several yet to come. Tell me about the ship again, please." She wanted to hear Jill explain it while she looked over the space.

Jill kept her explanation simple and to the point. "The ship will have a set of rings at the bottom that will each spin at very fast speeds in opposite directions. In the center will be the engine bay that will house the FTL drive as well as the drive that will get it into orbit. Next will be the engineering section that will house the main computer for the ship as well as the power supply. Then there will be the hibernation chambers. At the tip will be the cockpit with the lone seat to fly it.

"The rings will be the largest section. The ship itself will be tapered to the tip where the probes will be located as well as the deflector dish. There will be no glass so you will not be able to see out from inside it. This planet's technology prevents from having glass installed."

"Well since we'll be sleeping I guess it doesn't matter. …You're sure it's safe?" They'd already survived one destroyed ship; they didn't need to try and survive another.

"Given the technology level of this planet there are no guarantees. We need to add in the capability of the workers that will be building it. The quality of the materials needs to be taken into consideration as well. How much time you two can dedicate to the construction. The time it takes to have supplies shipped here." Jill broke potential bad news to them. "…At the moment construction time is estimated at between 3 and 5 years.

"And there is another truck coming." The first 3 were gone so this guy was new.

Both of them hurried outside and watched as a much smaller truck drove up and came their way.

"Where do you want it and do you have a fork lift available?" His was a crate sitting on a small flat bed truck and it weighed a lot.

They took him inside, showed him where they wanted it, and pointed at the lone fork lift that they'd had delivered a few days ago. They had another one on order to be delivered.

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All of today's deliveries had been delivered and both of them looked it over. They had left all of it up to Jack and Jill to order everything, have it delivered, and even pay for it all.

"So what is all this stuff?" The cargo containers obviously held a lot. As for what was in the crate, he had no idea.

"Since we will be building from the aft up, most of this is what it will take to create the rings that will spin. Mountings for those same rings, chemicals that will be housed in those same sealed rings, as well as the struts to connect the rings to the main drive housing.

"While those are under construction the supplies for the engine housing will show up as well as scaffolding so the workers can work higher and higher, and if we can, the pans that will be used for attitude adjustments out in space," Jill explained since most of this design was hers.

"And the crate?" Kate looked it over. It was about the size of their Jeep.

"The first few of a number of RTGs that will be required," Jill stated like it was obvious.

"RT what?" Kate didn't understand and even Rick was making an _I don't understand_ face_._

"Radioisotope thermoelectric generators, or RTGs, which use the fact that radioactive materials, encased in a sealed shell, will generate heat as they decay into non-radioactive materials," Jill said.

"Radioactive?" Kate had stopped at that word.

"How did you get those? And what do you mean the first?" Rick questioned and began to really wonder if they'd bitten off far more than they could chew.

"A local organization called NASA has them built and sent to them. We simply redirected these here. We will need several more of them to power the FTL for a year. Then we will need to build the power generation system for the hibernation pods which will be a separate system," Jack explained. "We still need to order the batteries that will be the housing of the ship. We need something thick to keep out the radiation of space and having it affect the ship's systems."

Kate was standing there with her mouth hanging open as she looked at everything while Jack and Jill explained things they hadn't even bothered to ask them about.

Rick questioned the two of them. "Do I want to know how you got or plan to get all this stuff?"

"We are paying for all of it. We do not steal. NASA thinks the RTGs were delivered to an empty address of a strip mall in Kansas City instead of here and we will need to do this again a few times to obtain all the units we will need to complete construction," Jack stated.

"Are we going to be able to finish before the local law enforcement shows up and stops us?" Rick was suddenly worried about that.

"Since we have access to every computer that we can reach, we should be able to prevent it. Granted we cannot do anything about paper hard copies from being made and distributed, but we can prevent everything else. …There are no guarantees in any of this. Nor can we prevent any of the workers that are hired from talking," Jill told them.

"We have settled on a cover story for them and anyone else that gets interested," Jack added since they were already ready for that.

"Which is?" Kate wasn't sure she was going to like it. However Jack and Jill had worked with S.T.A.R.S. units so they knew not to be thieves.

"A Hollywood movie. A full-size mock-up of a ship is required that will be filmed locally." Jill was actually a little proud of their cover story. It fit everything they were doing.

"A movie. …Interesting." Rick kind of liked it too. "What about computers and flight control systems?" They had talked about the guts of the ship. What about what it was going to take to actually fly it? Especially when they were locked up in their hibernation pods.

"We will be in hibernation with you so we will need to program the computer for any number of possible events. This presents us with still another challenge to overcome. The technology of this planet does have what they call super computers. However, they are almost as big as your house as well as very heavy," Jack began.

"That _is_ a problem," Rick quickly agreed, especially since it sounded like their ship was going to be rather small.

"We have already purchased a number of laptop computers. The plan to is to connect them together and try and get the computer power that is required. In fact when you launch you will be using one of them to pilot the ship until you enter FTL," Jill said.

"Like the one I'm using to write with?" Rick queried. He'd been bored and had ordered a laptop so he could write something and keep busy.

"Similar, but they will be more powerful. Yours is mostly just to type with. Several are going to be ordered just before you launch. The local technology may improve while the ship is under construction. We may even be able to skip using laptops and use something else by then. Though we are thinking of using a series of laptops to monitor and control the hibernation pods, separate from the flight system," Jack clarified.

"What do you think?" Kate looked at Rick. He was richer than her. He knew more about the advanced technology from their home planet than she did.

"It sounds like they've got most everything covered. About the only thing that concerns me are the hibernation pods themselves. I'm assuming a gas mixture which means there can't be any leaks and how the gas gets refreshed as we use it up could be an issue. Otherwise we'll die in our sleep and never even notice." Rick could think of worse ways to die, but dying wasn't something he really wanted to do in the first place.

"There will be tanks filled with the necessary gases. The computer will dispense them as required to maintain hibernation. When we reach the desired system or any system, the flight system will instruct the hibernation system to wake you up." They had a solution for that as well.

"There is one final problem that presently we cannot solve." Jill hated to break the bad news to them.

"Now I'm afraid to ask." Kate hated the sound of that. If these two couldn't solve it then it couldn't be solved. "What is it?" She was ready to cover her ears so she didn't have to listen.

"The local technology when it comes to communications is seriously poor. They have no FTL communications capability, naturally. Actually the system they use is very slow. We will install a local system but if where we go is not listening to these low bands, we cannot talk to anyone." Jill was mostly concerned about this part.

"OH, BLOODY HELL!" They show up out of the blue, are deemed a threat, and the military comes over and blows them to hell and gone.

Just about then a light bulb went on over Rick's head. "That explains why no one talked to us when we were in the shuttle headed for this planet." Kate looked at him and silently agreed.

"Three or more years to build it. A year of travel and if nothing goes wrong we arrive and since we can't talk to anyone we might be considered a threat." Rick started shaking his head.

Kate was actually beginning to think that just staying here and living their lives was the best choice. It was just that she really wanted to go home. This planet wasn't home.

"I want to go home. Make it work." Kate walked to the Jeep so they could go home. "We need to stop for groceries first."

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Kate was headed for the pool and was dressed in one of her new bikinis. This one was a lot like the one she didn't come here in. It had a thong bottom. Her problem at the moment was that she couldn't find Rick. It was only a two bedroom home and yet he could be anywhere at the moment. It hadn't even occurred to her that he was at the building site. They hadn't as yet hired any workers though Jack and Jill had told them that the welder they hired needed to know how to do something called _walking the cup._

Apparently it was a welding technique that produced the very best results and since the construction of this ship was going to require a lot of welding, it was imperative that he do the best work.

Jill had even found a picture of the technique so that they would know he was doing it properly when they looked at his work. "That's nice!" Kate had never seen anything quite like it. It looked a little like rope. It looked really clean.

"Where are you?" She was running out of places to look.

"Rick is at the neighbors' house introducing the two of you as the new owners. Essentially meeting the neighbors," Jill replied.

"Oh!" That certainly explained why she couldn't find him. "He didn't invite me." She was suddenly a little upset.

"Are you dressed to meet the neighbors?" Jill questioned.

That had Kate looking down at herself. "Good point." She wasn't upset with him any longer. Since he wasn't here and she was going to hit the pool she decided to do just that.

It wasn't really possible to do laps since the pool was oddly shaped so mostly she was just fooling around while enjoying the feel of the water. She had to admit that the water was warm enough to totally enjoy and living here where it didn't really get cold or really hot like home was very, very nice. If it wasn't for the fact that this planet was so damn backward she might actually consider staying. But she really wanted to go home.

"What are you thinking?" Suddenly hearing Rick's voice just about had her jumping out of her skin. Then his hands went to work on her shoulders which had her relaxing and not yelling at him for scaring her. Actually his hands had her moaning from the pleasure of them doing their magic. "Do you think we'll make it home? Or is this home now?" He really wanted to be sure before they went to too much trouble if they didn't have to.

"Hmm." Kate was only half listening. "This isn't a bad planet, I guess, but I really want to go home. I can't imagine what my dad is thinking. As if losing Mom wasn't bad enough. Now he's probably going to be told that I'm dead, too." If they even suspected that they were dead yet.

"I'm sorry we even went on that trip." What had started out in his mind as a way to bring them together, had accomplished just that. However, the cost had been high. They were lost and they had no idea how many were dead or how many shuttles had escaped.

"Don't, babe!" Kate left his hands so she could twist around and face him. "I know I made you wait and I'm still sorry about that. But I love you. More than I've ever thought of loving anyone. I can't imagine being with anyone else." Kate kissed him deeply.

"Was that a marriage proposal?" Had she either just asked him to marry her or had she just said that if he asked her she would say yes?

Kate replayed in her head what she had said. "And if it was?" She would say yes if he asked her.

"Then my answer is yes, I'll marry you." Rick kissed her soundly.

Kate chuckled into the kiss. It wasn't how it was supposed to work, but he had kind of asked her and had said yes to her offhand proposal. "Then to be clear, I want to marry you," she said, smiling into his lips.

"Jack?" Rick was really starting to like having these two around.

"We will look up what it takes to get married here. Congratulations!" Jack was happy for them. He was sure Daphne and Robert would be pleased with these two even if they were not involved with S.T.A.R.S.

"Shall we celebrate?" Kate had an idea on just how to celebrate and reached down to take hold of his limp cock. "We can make love in the pool." She smiled into his lips and felt him kiss her as his hands began to remove her top.

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A large crate was delivered to the house. Kate looked it over as it was set down just outside of the garage. "What in the world is this thing?" It was easily 6 feet long and nearly as tall and about 2 feet deep.

"It is a plotter. We thought it would help when you hired a welder or two for them to have drawings to go by so they could do their work. Rolls of paper and toner cartridges are on order and should arrive soon. We will send what they need to see to it for printing," Jill said.

"OH! Shouldn't it have been delivered to the site instead of here?" Or did they need it here?

"We thought the workers only needed to see drawings, not how they were printed. Especially when it is not connected to anything," Jill explained.

"Good point. …Where's it going to go?" Inside the house might not be such a good idea.

"In the garage, just in front of either the Jeep or Mustang. It only needs power," Jill replied.

"I'll find Rick so we can unpack it and move it." Kate started for the front door only to see him coming out the door.

"I'm told we have something to do. Something about a plotter." Then he saw the crate. "I'll get the hammer." He turned toward the garage where all the tools were being stored.

Kate waited impatiently and then helped to unpack it, lift it up, and carry it into the garage. It was plugged in but they had to wait for the paper and toner before being able to use it.

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"One of you needs to go to the site. A cargo container is being delivered today," Jill told Kate while Jack was telling Rick.

"What's in it?" Kate asked since they both knew most of what was coming.

"Batteries that will make up the walls of the ship. Discovery battery AES 6.6 Whr/48VDC with Xanbus lithium (LFP) battery. It includes the necessary cables to interconnect them to each other. Though to make them the walls of the ship we have had to order some longer connector cable since these will be rather short since the manufacture is expecting them to be installed side by side in all cases, and we can't do that. So we will need a few cables that are longer," Jill said. "Oh, and they weigh 192 pounds per battery."

"HOLY CRAP! Are we even going to be able to get off the ground?" She didn't know just how many batteries it was going to take and was afraid to ask.

"The weight has been taken into account. It's nothing to worry about," Jill assured her.

"Do I want to know what they cost?" They'd left all of it to Jack and Jill. They both relied on Jack and Jill to make sure they had enough money for the ship and to live.

"$7,200 each," Jill replied without telling her just how many batteries were being delivered.

"Sorry I asked." Both she and Rick were starting to learn the cost of things in Hawaii. Though they didn't know if it was less expensive somewhere else. They had landed here so this is where they lived.

They'd only just reached the kitchen after unpacking the plotter when it started to rain. They were learning that it rained a lot here. It was what kept everything green and beautiful. It also meant the trip to the site would be done in the rain.

"I'll go. The Jeep has 4 wheel drive in case the site turns into mud." Rick quickly kissed her and headed to the garage again.

"Rick, I have intercepted a call that a delivery truck is being sent to the site. This one will have a number of 2019 Huawei MateBook X Pro laptop computers. They are the most powerful laptop computers presently available. We will augment them with new ones before the launch, however, these will do for the control of the hibernation pods. The plan is to interconnect them for maximum power in as little space as possible." They were going to be stacked one on top of the other as well as vertically side by side as needed.

Rick couldn't resist. "How much?" Still he tried to close his ears and not hear the answer. It was really starting to add up and even if they had left it all to Jack and Jill, he was beginning to worry. Someone had to start noticing. Right?

"Approximately $1,300 per computer." Jack didn't see anything to worry about.


	11. Chapter 11

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 11_

_It is now 3 months later_

Rick had already left to join the 3 workers that they had hired. One was an experienced welder who had planned on retiring, however he'd found that he needed the money so he was available. He had already demonstrated that he knew how to do _Walking The Cup. _He had also demonstrated that he could do something called _Flux Core Welding_. She and Rick had no real idea just what each was but he was hired because Jack and Jill liked him.

The other 2 were simple manual labor. Someone had to unload the cargo containers and set up the pieces for the welder to work on. He was actually almost ready for the very first and largest circle to be filled with gases, which weren't here yet and wouldn't be filled with the required gases until just before lift off. They would, of course, be tested to make sure they were gas tight.

Right now Kate was headed for her car so she could join them. Then a thought hit her and she decided to ask, "Jill." Kate waited inside the house just inside the front door for her to show herself.

"What's on your mind?" Jill looked as lovely as ever.

"What exactly happened? On the cruise ship, I mean. Everything was fine but then it all went to shit." She had been curious since it had happened. It was only just now that it occurred to her to ask Jill.

"That was why Daphne and Robert were on the evacuation deck." Not that it had done them any good. Maybe if they had either been slower or hadn't been warned by Jack and Jill they might still be alive.

"We hit a barrier. It was a ship emitting a field around it. They either knew we were coming or simply got lucky. At any rate it forced our ship to suddenly drop out of FTL. It is a common technique by pirates who have that capability," Jill told her.

"I've never heard of such a thing." Granted she didn't go anywhere so understanding everything about FTL hadn't been a priority.

Jill continued her explanation. "The government and military would prefer to keep it that way. FTL is presently a system that we cannot live without. We need FTL for any number of reasons. Most of them dealing with commerce and military safety.

"In our case it was a pirate; it was also a pirate who was being chased by our military. They had their barrier up and it not only caught us but it also caught a military destroyer that immediately started firing on the pirate ship after recovering."

"Okay, I'm following all that, but what happened to us?" If there was a military ship why did they blow up?

"I am getting to that. It was then that Daphne and Robert chose to race to the evacuation deck after we warned them about what was going on outside. The pirates sent out a message in the clear. The military would back off or they would fire on the civilian ship they had forced out of FTL," Jill explained.

"Us." Kate hung her head.

"Unfortunately. The military refused. Either because they did not get the message, did not reach the ship's captain, or they did not believe them. In any case the pirates made good on their threat. Their first shot took out the bridge and its crew. The second hit the engineering section, followed by a third. Before the pirates were destroyed they hit two sections on the evacuation deck. Those two hits killed Daphne and Robert." Jill still missed her, though she was learning to really like Kate.

"But the ship blew up." If that was all they hit, why did they blow up?

"Secondary explosions," Jill stated simply. "In addition a civilian ship does not have the armor that a military ship has. Even a pirate ship's weapons made our ships hull look like paper."

"Oh." Kate could see that.

"You are walking better of late. How are your leg exercises coming along?" Daphne had really wanted her to get really strong using her legs. For several reasons.

That had Kate smiling. "Pretty good actually. It doesn't hurt any longer and I'm using more and more weight. …I was thinking about testing them out on Rick in bed tonight. Wait until he's inside me, wrap my legs around him and lock my ankles in place, and squeeze." Actually she couldn't wait to try out her new legs.

"I will try and keep my eyes and ears closed tonight." Jill smiled an evil smile then vanished.

"You do that." Kate opened the door and hurried toward her car so she could join Rick and the others. Granted both of them had gotten used to having Jack and Jill around all the time. Still it was a bit creepy knowing that their love making was being observed in some way.

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Kate arrived just in time to see a truck loaded down with gas bottles strapped to the bed of his delivery truck driving onto the property. "The gases are here." She smiled. They were one step closer.

She got the bags out of the trunk and went inside. She saw the welder working and tried not to look since looking would burn her eyes right out of her head. She watched as Rick and the other two carried the next panels for the next ring out of the container. "I brought lunch!" Kate held up both bags, one in each hand. One had food and one had drinks.

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"They're all the same," Kate told them as everyone surrounded her including the welder. "Kalua pig with white rice and poi." They were in white biodegradable containers meant for takeout. "All the drinks are guava juice." She saw the welder looking into that bag.

"Free lunch, works for me." One of the workers was happy.

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They were almost done eating. "Do we get our names in the ending credits?" one of them inquired since he was working on something for a movie.

Neither Rick nor Kate were prepared for that question. They had watched a few movies, but not really that many so far. They'd heard about Star Wars and Star Trek and were amused how much each of them got wrong. Though each got a few things right.

"I don't actually know. It's probably not up to us. Having said that I suppose if they list everyone involved with each company, then it's possible," Rick replied. Lord knew the ending credits took forever.

"COOL!" That guy fist bumped the guy next to him. They were going to get their names up in lights. The fact that they would scroll by so fast no one would read their names or care since they would be up and leaving the theater didn't matter. It made working on this project that much more cool. Plus it was a job that paid pretty well.

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It was the weekend and the workers had it off as usual. Instead of doing some work themselves they had chosen to go on a mini vacation. Since Hawaii made up four major islands they decided to go see another one. In this case an island the locals called Ohau. It was said to have the largest city on any of the four main islands. However, there was only one way to get there.

"You're sure this is safe?" Kate was sitting next to Rick and wasn't looking forward to this. Having to practically strip just to get to the gate where the plane was parked had been bad enough. Why did they need so much security and why were they so bad at it?

Rick simply looked at her and then resumed people watching. He hadn't bothered to bring his laptop so he could get some writing done. He hadn't even thought about trying to get it published yet.

"You heard them, no major crashes in years. How bad can a company be when it's named United?" Rick meant Jack and Jill who had made all the reservations. They had even talked them into a couple of excursions to help them search the island and learn more about it.

"Well I'm looking forward to a luau." A luau had been explained to both of them. It was basically a show by the locals followed by an all-you-can-eat buffet, featuring a whole pig cooked in the ground.

"I'm more interested in the tour all the way around the island with a number of stops along the way." Rick had what he wanted.

They only had what they were carrying so getting in and out should be fast.

They listened to the boarding attendant call out seat numbers so they got in line and walked down the tunnel to their plane. Once inside it looked familiar and yet different.

"Seat belt, Miss." The stewardess stopped beside Kate and waited until Kate buckled up. They even both paid really close attention to what to do in case of an emergency.

"Why does this sound familiar?" Rick still kind of moaned over all of it.

"Because last time we _had_ to use it and everyone else died," Kate answered quietly. Granted they weren't certain that everyone else had died. Other shuttles may have gotten away and maybe landed the same way they did. Or maybe actually landed instead of jumping.

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They landed without any issues then started moving through the airport and found themselves waiting in line at a company called Mears to be taken to their hotel.

Jack and Jill had tried to talked them into a certain hotel because it was one of the older hotels on the island.

"What if I want something more modern instead of ancient?" Kate had argued.

"This hotel is considered the finest hotel on the island and most well known," Jill had replied.

Kate still shot them down so they worked at finding something more their style.

"Where you going?" the young man standing almost outside asked them.

"Prince Wakiki," Kate responded. Based on the pictures this hotel was more her style.

Unfortunately they had to wait almost 45 minutes for the bus to be ready. In the end it took them almost 2 hours to reach their hotel and they were not its first stop.

Thankfully check-in was easy and quick and they each had a card to get into their room.

It was a corner suite with floor to ceiling windows on two sides that looked out onto the dock and ocean beyond. Living, dining, bedroom, and bathroom. Eight hundred fifty-five square feet of space, a king-size bed, windows that opened to allow in a breeze, and a 60-inch LCD TV.

Kate stood at the windows and looked out. "This is much better." The view they had at home was nice, but this was different and nice. "What's first?" She knew Rick had made reservations for a couple of things. Their time was short. They had to leave late tomorrow and get back to work.

"We still have time." Rick walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Time for what?" The view was mostly the dock filled with ships and ocean and there were hotels just as tall as theirs in the distance. Her answer was Rick cupping her breasts with his hands.

He kissed her neck then said, "Dining room table. NOW!" Rick took her over to the table, pulled her pants and panties down in one move, and made her bend over onto the table. His own pants came down and he used his cock to rub up and down her lips until she was wet. Then he plunged inside her all the way, taking Kate's breath from her.

It took only a short time for him to hear, "YES, BABY! FUCK ME! …HARDER! FASTER!"

After Rick climaxed inside her Kate turned around, got down on her knees, and took his cock into her mouth. She could taste herself on him. "Come for me, baby, I want to taste you." She preferred the taste of _them._

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Like Rick she was only wearing a bikini with a wrap and flip flops. His tour around the island had already made a couple of stops so they could see things up close. This stop was something called the North Shore. They were going to be staying there for a while so hitting the beach and getting into the ocean was an option.

Kate was loving it. The water wasn't cold and yet it wasn't hot either. She was just standing there with water up to her hips. Her eyes were on the people that were paddling out into the ocean on boards. Then they floated out there for a time and suddenly they were standing on the board just in front of a wave that was headed her way. She jumped when she felt Rick's arms wrap around her.

"What are they doing?" Yes, they had lived on an island for about 6 months or so now and were about 3 months into their years' long build. Yet Kate was starting to kick herself for not even trying to check out the island they lived on. All she did was go from market to market, out to the construction site, and home again.

"The guys at the job site call it surfing. It isn't just recreational, or so they say. You can actually make a living off of it. The biggest challenge is surfing in something called the pipe. They tried to explain it but I didn't want to look stupid so I just went with it," Rick said as Kate felt his hand on her ass.

"Babe, what are you doing?" She was beyond happy that he wanted her. It told her that he loved her. However, he had already taken her this morning and while that might have been a surprise at first, she had thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Just checking." He liked feeling her ass.

Kate twisted in place and lifted her hands up around his neck. "Some place a little more private might be nice." She was willing to risk being seen, but not where she was _certain _ they would be seen.

"Deal." Rick kissed her and she kissed him back.

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"Why am I not changing into clothes?" Kate asked as she changed into the other swimsuit that she'd brought then searched for a wrap before putting on her flip flops.

"The same reason I'm not," Rick said and endured Kate glaring at him for that comment. "We have a sunset cruise that includes drinks and dinner on something called a catamaran." He hadn't bothered to look up just what type of ship that was.

"Sounds fun," Kate remarked approvingly. Then a thought hit her. "Does it have a dance floor?" Holding Rick close while dancing around really slow sounded like a good plan.

"Let's find out." Their first problem was just getting to the ship except they found out that it wasn't all that far so they walked. Being on Waikiki had its benefits.

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The following morning they had to check out since they were flying back home today. Since they were carrying small carry ons it didn't stop them from getting around before going to the airport.

It was free and they'd seen the wagon running around so they hopped on and found themselves at Hilo Hatie's. Inside they saw that they sold everything Hawaiian. It wasn't just Aloha shirts or Hawaiian dresses and muumuus. There was candy, nuts, leis, coffee mugs, totes, little hula dancers to put on the dashboard of your car. There was also University of Hawaii gear. And countless other things. But did they really need any of it? Mostly because a lot of the clothes were really loud if not totally obnoxious.

Still they both left with a full bag of mementos and other stuff then got back on the shuttle. It didn't take them home though. It took them to a different shopping complex that had the Aloha Clock that you could walk up to via a viewing deck.

"It's a nice place. It has history and I don't remember any place this green back home." Rick was beginning to wonder if risking getting home was worth it. It was nice here.

"Airplanes crash, cars crash, trains crash, and don't get me started on the politics of this place." Kate was sure that if they kept this up there was going to be a civil war at the very worst. Republicans didn't just not like Democrats, they down right hated them. Enough to think that the only good Democrat was a dead Democrat. Or vice versa.

"Maybe." Rick wasn't sure. He was sure they would step back before it got that far, but he did worry that hate was the name of the game in politics. He sighed heavily. "You're right, we'll go home."

That made Kate smiled and she kissed him. "Say that again." She wanted to hear him admit it again.

"We'll go home," Rick responded.

"Before that." That wasn't the part she wanted him to admit.

"Bad politics?" Rick tried again since that was the topic.

"Try again. …Last chance, baby." Kate reached up and took hold of his ear but didn't squeeze just yet.

Rick really didn't get it so maybe a threat would get him out of this. "You hurt my ear and you'll be sleeping on the sofa or in the spare bedroom." He listened to her growl but she didn't release his ear. Then he upped the consequences. "And no sex tonight or in the morning."

"I'm not cooking," Kate countered since she knew he was lucky to even heat up water to boiling.

Rick's eyebrows shot up; she was playing dirty. "I have a car. I can eat out," he countered right back.

Kate wasn't yet ready to admit defeat but what if he really didn't know what he had said? Then she felt her ankle tingle just a touch. "What, Jill?" If she had something she should just say so. There were people around them and one couple was watching her holding Rick's ear.

"Fine, …later." Kate let go of his ear and went back down the stairs. She went over to wait for the shuttle to get back to their hotel and then to the airport with all of their new stuff.

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Kate was naked and in their bed waiting for Rick to join her. She was even stroking herself to get herself a little wet. "Don't forget to use your legs tonight. I promise to close my ears and eyes," Jill whispered.

"OH, YEAH!" She'd forgotten about that. "I knew there was a reason why l liked you." Rick was going to admit that she'd been right or she was going to make him pay. Hell, she might make him pay even after he admitted it or make him really pay if he didn't.


	12. Chapter 12

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 12_

_It is now 3 months later_

Kate didn't go to the building site today because she was a little nauseous. She hadn't thrown up but her stomach was doing somersaults. She was cooking, though, and while she was hungry the smell of her cooking wasn't helping her stomach any.

Rick walked into the kitchen after returning from the construction site. "They're starting to put the struts connecting the rings together. Once that's done they can begin work on the main body, provided we have enough batteries and connecting cable. The parts for the pods should have arrived today but didn't."

Rick then stepped in behind her and wrapped his arms around her from behind. "Mmm, smells good." It was a good thing she knew how to cook or they would be eating take-out day after day.

"I'm glad you think…so." Kate clapped a hand over her mouth and bolted.

Vomit had started to leak through her hand by the time she reached the toilet and threw up.

Rick was a little behind her; he stood in the doorway and let her finish. When it looked like she might be done he wet a wash cloth for her and handed it to her.

"Thanks." Kate sat back on her heels and wiped at her mouth

"Where did that come from?" He didn't remember her ever complaining about not feeling well before.

"I pretty much woke up feeling like this," Kate replied miserably.

"I'll get the thermometer." They could risk a medical visit so long as they didn't have bloodwork done or have an x-ray taken. They didn't know for sure Jack and Jill were warning them that being admitted to a hospital would lead to trouble.

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"It's normal." Rick looked at it and wasn't sure what to do for her next.

Kate had moved to the sitting area next to the kitchen. Rick had turned everything off and assumed she was done for the day. While he was hungry, food wasn't on his mind at the moment. Instead he sat down next to her and pulled her close to him.

Kate found it strange but tucking her nose against his neck actually seemed to help her stomach a little, so she stayed just like this and breathed.

Jill spoke up. "I do have a theory."

"We're all ears," Rick replied and Jill had Kate's attention as well, not that she moved.

"You have been here a little over 9 months, almost 10," Jill began then paused. "Rick's stem, when it was inserted, was good for 9 months. I do not know how long ago it was implanted but it is long enough for it to have stopped working. Though that alone might not mean anything. The drug needs to clear his system first." Jill didn't come out and say it but…

"I'm pregnant." Kate straightened up, moved her face from Rick's neck, and looked out into the room. She was 20 years old, they were guessing. At least using their calendar she had had her birthday already.

"It fits what we know, yes," Jill added.

"Pregnant." She wanted to say she was too young to get pregnant. Except she knew she could have gotten pregnant years ago. She also knew she and Rick were certainly having enough sex for her to be pregnant. It only just hit her that they'd been relying on Rick's stem for her to not get pregnant. Yes, they had some local condoms, but they hadn't used them because they didn't have to.

"Are there tests for us to verify a pregnancy? Something the locals have that will work on Kate?" Rick queried since they needed to be sure. "We also need to find a local doctor. We can't just ignore it." Her health and the baby's health was paramount.

"Going to a doctor to verify a pregnancy will mean a blood test," Jill warned. "Though if you go there and tell them you are pregnant, that you want to see the baby and be given vitamins they may skip a blood test." It depended on the doctor and what they told him or her.

Rick was wondering if they should wait until they were certain she was pregnant. But that might put her health at risk. "Find a doctor and make an appointment. If they have home testing ability where do I find them?"

"I have located a doctor. The office is closed for the day. You can call in the morning. The nearest drug store is in town a few miles down," Jill reported.

"Don't move, I'll go get them." Rick kissed her cheek, got up, and made his way to his Jeep. It used a fob to start it. Jack had already downloaded what was required so all Rick needed was him.

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Rick had come back with three of them. Each of them had different writing on them so he was guessing that each was different. At the moment he was pacing outside of the bathroom.

Kate had shooed him out of the bathroom. "You're not watching me pee." She'd shut the door in his face.

She may have been right but that didn't make it better. If she was pregnant their lives were going to change dramatically. He hadn't even thought about what that meant for their chance of getting home.

Kate was perched on the edge of the toilet seat, waiting for the time to run out. She had been scared about a lot of things in her life. Worried that Rick would wise up and leave her. Worried that her dad might do something stupid after he found out their cruise ship was gone. Worried that they were never going to get to see home again. Now she was worried that she was pregnant.

She was only twenty! She wasn't ready to be a mother. It was too soon. She hadn't even done any babysitting when she was younger. That had her laughing. "Younger." She was young!

Kate was still young but did that mean trouble for her? They had two bedrooms though the baby would be in their room to start with. Did she want to breastfeed the baby? Did they even want to risk using the formula that the locals used? Technically they weren't human. What if they used formula? What would that mean for the baby?

Rick was still thinking about all kinds of problems when the door finally opened and he saw Kate standing there. He wanted to ask her but opening his mouth didn't let any words come out.

She held up all three test sticks. "I'm pregnant." She was happy, she was scared, she was a lot of things. Mostly she was just scared.

Then she found herself being crushed in Rick's arms. It was enough that it had her crying and wrapping her arms around him. Her fear that Rick didn't want the baby or want her any longer vanished.

"We're having a baby!" Rick kissed her and continued to hug her.

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They needed to make plans. Babies needed things, things they didn't have. They spent hours talking to each other about all the things they needed to start worrying about.

Then Jack spoke up, "Will you two stop, please?" Startled, both of them ceased speaking.

"Take things one step at a time. First Kate needs a doctor appointment to have the baby looked at without the need for a blood test or any other intrusive investigation. We can alter the computer memory if we can gain access to it. We just cannot do anything about the paper trail," Jill said.

"We have already begun design changes for the ship based on having a child from 1 to 2 years old. Older than that and we might have trouble," Jack told them. They just didn't have the space for 3 full size hibernation units. The frame for the placement of the batteries was already underway. There was still a lot to do before placement of the batteries, though. Anything big like hibernation units would be lowered in through the top before it was closed in.

"But…," Kate began only to see Jill suddenly show up. Neither of them were in the habit of showing themselves. Normally they just talked.

"Relax! You have us. We both promised that we would do all we could for the two of you and we will. Daphne and Robert liked both of you. They had reached the evacuation deck when they wondered where you two were," Jill said.

Then Jack appeared. "What happened was not your fault. In fact we would have died with them without you two and for that we are both thankful."

"We have already started looking into furniture for the baby, as well as clothing, diapers, bedding, and other things. We will need an example of baby formula for us to scan to determine if it can be used if Kate is unwilling or unable to breastfeed," Jill added.

"Breastfeed." Kate hadn't even started to think about that. She looked down at her breasts. She worried that she needed larger breasts in order to adequately feed her baby. Then a new thought hit her. "I'm going to get as big as a house! What if it's twins? Or more!" She sank into the sectional she was sitting on. "ONE! We're having one. If it's more than one I'm squeezing you and never letting go," she threatened Rick since this was his fault.

Rick defended himself as best he could. "You're planning on raising our child alone?"

"No. …Okay, you can live. But it's one. Are we clear?" Kate pointed at both Jill and Jack and then watched the cowards vanish.

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A naked Kate was in the bathroom, turning from side to side in front of the mirror. She was pregnant so where was it? Then Rick stepped in behind her and held her still. "I don't see anything different." She didn't feel anything different, either, as she ran her hand over her belly.

"You'll be amazing." Rick wanted to see the baby bump just as much as she did, if not more.

Kate huffed out a nervous laugh. "What do I know about being a mom?"

He kissed her neck. "Simple, you do what your mother did with you. Do you remember what she did?" She had complained that the longer her mother had been gone, the more she forgot.

"Remember what Mom did when I was really young? Yeah, in your dreams, babe." She mostly only remembered when she was a teenager.

"It'll come to you. We'll learn together." Rick couldn't think of anything else.

Kate let her head rest on his chest. "I wish my dad was here. I could use his help about now." And later when they needed a babysitter.

Kate found herself being spun around to face Rick. Then he lifted her up and sat her on the bathroom countertop. She spread her legs to let him in. "We could start practicing for our second one," he grinned.

"I can't get any more pregnant than I already am." Kate smiled at him then lost her smile as she locked her legs around him and started to squeeze.

"Kate!" Rick started to feel the pressure of her legs already.

"Yes, baby!" Kate cooed and squeezed him even harder. "Say it." She had gotten him to say it and wanted to hear it again.

"I hate Daphne." Rick tried to make a joke out of this. If he got Kate to laugh she might loosen her hold on him.

Instead Kate squeezed even harder until she wasn't sure she could squeeze any more. "Daphne was amazing and you know it. Now tell me." He knew just exactly what she wanted to hear.

"I love you," he managed to gasp as his breath started to leave him.

"Close, baby, but not right. Try again." Kate released her hold on him for a moment then squeezed him as hard as she still could.

The pressure caused Rick to grunt. "You were…right." He felt his face starting to change color.

He was close. It was supposed to be _You're always right. _However, he was starting to change colors so she released him and watched as he tried to breathe in as much oxygen as possible, as fast as possible. "We'll work on the right answer later. Now make love to me." Kate wrapped her arms around his neck and waited for him to carry her to their bed.

"Just as soon as I can get my blood moving again." She was getting really good at that.

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Rick had something to do before going into the job site and helping them build their ship. It meant driving into town and going where Jack sent him.

It had taken some real stealthy work to get the correct number but he had it and Kate was none the wiser.

"May I help you?" the man behind the counter inquired politely not long after he'd entered and had begun looking around.

"I need an engagement ring and wedding band. I'm told you have some using real koa wood with diamonds already set," Rick said.

"We do, sir." He didn't get many people interested in them but he had a few. "Over here." He took Rick to a different case. "They come in burl wood grain or you can have gold leaves embedded into the koa wood. They can be stainless steel between the wood or they can be black titanium. The wedding band is filled with diamond chips all around on one side. If money is an issue you can use zirconium. They look like the real thing at a fraction of the cost." Everything cost more in Hawaii so people spent their money where it was needed.

"Diamonds are fine. Anything around 2 carats would be good. If it got too big she might complain about it being in the way," Rick told him.

"That would be these three then." He brought the three out of the case. Only one of which was black titanium. "We also have a matching ring for the man. She can visit us and purchase it later or you can now and present it to her as well."

For Rick it was an easy choice. "I'll take the black titanium ring with the gold leaves embedded into the koa wood and the matching ring for the man." He didn't see the need for Kate to come buy it. He could just give it to her when he offered her ring.

"Do you have her ring size?" He was likely going to have to adjust it a little. Rick told him and learned he had to come back tomorrow to pick it up. Then he sized his finger since Rick had no idea and was told they would both be ready tomorrow at this time.

Rick handed over his card and left knowing that he was going to propose to the woman he loved more than anything tomorrow. That was if he could hold his tongue that long.

He'd learned from Jack that this planet did things differently. A few things were similar but a number were different. So he needed a wedding ring. He didn't have access to Kate's father to ask him first so he had to skip that part.

Jack had explained that he would start looking for a venue for the wedding as soon as he knew when the wedding was. He was already looking for flowers, invitations, music, and food.

Rick was grateful for his help. He was sure Kate was already stressed enough since learning she was pregnant.

"You think she's going to care if she's really seriously pregnant during the wedding?" Rick asked.

"I will not say what Jill just said but the word was, 'YES, DUH!' I think that means the sooner the better," Jack responded.

"DUH?" Rick had never heard that word.

"Sorry, Jill and I are spending too much time on the Internet while trying to understand this planet and the local culture." They were being contaminated by the local culture and it needed to stop or at least be contained.

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He found Kate in the kitchen cooking when he finally made it home. She had chosen not to go to the building site today. "How are they doing?" Kate asked as she put a covered baking dish in the oven.

"They're… Why are you red?" His overactive imagination immediately kicked into high gear. She was red because she was allergic to something on this planet. She was red because she was pregnant and something on this planet was causing it. She was sick and whatever it was had mutated because of this planet.

"I spent too much time on the beach. I got a little red." Kate stopped what she was doing and pulled her top to one side to show him.

Rick reached out to touch it but stopped. "Ouch. …Does it hurt?" It was a stupid question and he could just kick himself. The look on her face told him it was a dumb question.

"I'll go into town to find something that will help with that." Rick kissed her cheek and turned to leave.

"I already did, as much as it hurt. I got what Jill suggested. So far it isn't really helping." Kate wanted it to work instantly and it wasn't.

Jill defended her choice. "It's only been an hour."

Kate's eyes narrowed in fury. "YOU! You keep quiet. _You_ didn't wake me to prevent this."

"I TRIED! You slept through it!" Jill actually showed herself and glared at Kate. "Just be thankful that I talked you out of taking your top off since you wanted to remove the tan lines." Jill crossed her arms across her chest and glowered at Kate.

"That would have been bad," Rick commented. They both had the start of a good tan. For Kate to be burnt she must have been out there almost all day. If she had taken her top off her breasts wouldn't just be red, they would be blistered.

Rick wasn't helping and it was pissing her off. Both of them were pissing her off, big time. Her sunburn _hurt_ and neither of them were helping her.

Rick had dreamed up all kinds of ways to ask her. However seeing as how unhappy she was at the moment now might either be a good idea or a really bad one. He decided that it was a good idea.

"I got you something." Rick riffled through his pockets for it.

"I don't want it!" Kate hadn't even seen it but was sure she didn't want it.

Rick was undeterred and took out the ring he'd bought. "I got you a ring." Kate actually turned to look but wasn't really all that impressed. It didn't cure her sunburn.

"OH!" Rick was missing a step, a very important step. He hurriedly dropped down on one knee while holding out the ring. "Katherine Houghton Beckett, would you do me the incredible honor of marrying me."

Kate's unhappiness at her present condition left her. This wasn't the proper way for him to ask her to marry him, though. A ring had nothing to do with it. But he was down on one knee and while that was also different, he was asking her.

She didn't know where they came from but tears started forming in her eyes. "You…you want to marry me?" She loved him immensely, yes. "Where's my talisman and my tattoo?" He was offering her a ring.

"The ceremony on this planet is different. If you want to be married before the birth of the baby we need to do it their way," Rick explained. "So is that a yes?" She hadn't actually answered his question.

Different or not, he was asking her. Something she wasn't sure was ever going to happen. Certainly not when she was twenty years old and certainly not while she was pregnant. Wait. She was _pregnant_. "Are you asking because I'm pregnant?" Had she unintentionally trapped him into asking?

"Of course not. I'm asking because I love you, Kate." He looked at her intently. "Is this still because you don't think you should marry me? I have money back home. So what? What I do for a living happens to make me wealthy. What you have here is what makes you wealthy." Rick reached up and laid his hand over her heart. "It's the part of you that I love the most. It's the part of you that I want to marry." He wasn't holding the ring up anymore but it was still in his hand.

It was all almost overwhelming. Kate was learning that he truly loved her. That he thought she was worthy of being his wife. They were stuck on some distant planet that their people knew nothing about. They had a plan but it was risky and now she was pregnant. Yes, he'd said that he loved her and she knew she loved him. Now he was proving it.

Kate offered her response softly, "Yes." The pain of her sunburn and why it bothered her so much was gone. "I don't get a tattoo?"

"Maybe we can add as much of our culture into the wedding as possible. Does that help?" Rick wasn't sure just what was so wrong. She had at least said yes.

"Please!" Kate felt herself crying now. He had asked and she did want to marry him.

She watched as he took her hand, kissed her palm, then slid the ring onto her finger. It felt different to have something there. But she was almost married; she broke down and was down on her knees so she could hug him and cry on his shoulder.

She loved him and now she was going to get to prove it by marrying him.


	13. Chapter 13

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 13_

_It is 3 months later, now one year since they landed on Earth_

They were nine months into their ship build and Kate had parked her car at the construction site and was walking inside.

She was still playing with her wedding ring. It wasn't a tattoo like it was supposed to be. Marriage on their world was meant to be permanent since getting rid of them was near impossible. But with this thing all you had to do was take it off.

Though Rick had asked and she was still apologizing for taking so long to say yes. Lord knows she loved him and his asking her showed that he loved her just as much.

Now she really wanted to go home. Placing a hand on her belly only proved how much. Her baby bump was now noticeable, at least to her and Rick, but hidden from everyone else for now. She wanted her baby to grow up at home. Not here. Earth was all right but living here wasn't part of her dream.

Kate stepped inside and stopped in her tracks. "DAMN!" It was actually starting to look like a real spaceship. She had seen the plans that had been printed out by Jack and Jill for the workers to follow but seeing it in person was something else.

The rings had the basic diameter of an 18-wheeler with trailer while the part they would be inside of was about the size of a local food truck or maybe a fire truck just with a different shape. That shape was actually starting to take place.

At the moment they were setting the finishing touches of the frame that was going to hold all those batteries. All of the batteries were sitting off to one side and it was going to be hell to put all of them into place.

First, however, they needed to install the engineering section and set it all up. And drop in the hibernation units that still needed to be built. The metal for the skin was also there and was going to take a lot of welding, much like the frame for the batteries. Their guy was going to be earning his pay.

"So what do you think?" Rick had spotted her and was walking her way with a smile on his face. He saw progress. They were still a long way from testing phases but it was actually starting to look like something.

"It has a hole," Kate teased and tried to keep a straight face.

"It has a lot of holes." Rick turned to look at it and totally missed the joke. Kate clapped a hand over her mouth to contain her laughter. "We've actually done an air test of the rings and the pressure's holding so we're getting somewhere."

It didn't totally look like anything either of them had ever seen, but they had a lot of faith in Jack and Jill. Like they had a choice if they wanted to get home.

"We got a delivery this morning." Rick pointed at a crate off to one side. "It contains computers. Just don't tell them." They were worth thousands and they were telling the workers that the computers were fakes, not real ones. So if they opened the crate and found out otherwise, they might get ideas.

"Kind of big isn't it?" Kate looked at the crate which was about the same size as the ship part of their space ship. Where they were all going to be.

"They're still in their boxes." They were in a box inside of a box that was surrounded by molded stuff to protect each one. It all took up space.

"I knew that." Kate tried to cover herself though they both knew she didn't or wasn't thinking or was still teasing him.

"So are you here to help or question me?" Rick was done with being teased.

"I brought lunch. It's in my car. I just wanted to see before you all stopped to eat." Kate had a reason to be here beyond it being part her space ship.

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Kate had actually stayed to help a little. She'd helped them start to put the engine bay together. Not that she really wanted to be all that close to the radioactive material since she was pregnant. Except Jill had assured her that it was safe.

In about three months the engine bay would be mostly complete and they could move on to the next phase.

At the moment Kate was in a bikini since she practically lived in them. If she wanted to go somewhere she simply put on a wrap and drove. Right now she was floating around in the pool.

"How are you doing on the wedding?" She knew Jill was always active and listening even if she did say she was closing her ears and eyes while they made love or she was sitting on the toilet. Kate did her best to ignore that part.

"Since cost is not an issue it is more what do _you_ want? I have found an agency that will help with getting the wedding license which is actually very easy to get. They have several locations you can choose from. A beach, seated, waterfall, garden, and on a boat, even one next to a railway. I have already rejected the boat, garden, and seated for you since there is no family to attend. I am sorry." Jill knew being stuck on this planet alone was a sore subject for Kate.

Kate skipped over that. "What else?"

"This same company will provide the photographer, transportation to the site from here, a registered minister to perform the ceremony, a bouquet for you to hold, and the ability to download all of your photos if you wish. Which will be a challenge when we leave this planet." Jill would have to download them into her so that Kate and Rick could have access to them whenever they pleased.

"Sounds simple enough. …Do you have photos of Daphne and Robert's wedding." Kate suddenly realized she would like to see those.

"They were already married when they gained us so I am afraid not. We should be able to find them once we are home, though, if you are interested," Jill replied.

"I want to talk to their surviving family, too. They deserve to know what happened to them. They were good friends. What else?" Their ceremony at home was sounding like it was a little more elaborate if you could afford to do that much.

"You are going to need to go shopping for a wedding dress soon and you need a ring to give to Rick. Though Jack has told me that he has already purchased that ring for you," Jill told her.

That had Kate standing up in the pool. "MY DRESS!" Of course she needed a dress. Since money was no object here it had better be one damn fine dress. The best she could get her hands on.

"Tell Jack to let Rick know that we're going dress shopping. You're navigating." Kate got out of the pool, into an authentic Hawaiian dress and flip flops, then into her car.

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There was only one place on this island that sold wedding gowns and Kate was presently wearing one while still in the changing room. It was the one she had finally agreed to actually try on to see what she looked like in it.

As she spun to get a better look, the face she was making was saying that she didn't like it. "It's not hideous but it's close." This one had actually been the best of the lot which was saying something and it wasn't good.

Jill popped into view since no one but Kate could see her. "White is the standard wedding dress on this planet."

While it being white was part of it, it was just... She didn't know how to put it into words. "It's not home. It's not the dress I dreamed about." While they had never been rich, it hadn't stopped her from looking at all of the wedding dresses they she could find. This wasn't one of them.

"If we had time to have one shipped in and altered we might find something closer to home. However, you will be showing soon and you said you did not want that," Jill reminded her. She had procrastinated to the point where they no longer had that option.

"I know." It was partly her own fault. Kate spun around to keep looking at herself.

"Keep in mind this is a local wedding. Home does not even know this planet exists so your wedding here is not going to be acknowledged once we get there." Jill was sure they would get there. She and Jack had done a lot of work to make this ship work.

That had Kate stopping from spinning and looked at Jill. "We won't be officially married when we get home? SHIT!" She was going to be single with a child once they made it home. As if not having a lot of money wasn't bad enough. Now she was going to be a single mother. It almost had her thinking of staying on this planet.

"I will get Jack to drop hints that Rick needs to marry you again once you get home. Get the tattoo you want, wear the dress you want, get married where you want. Think of this as a _dress_ rehearsal," Jill suggested and couldn't hide her smile at her play on words.

"Funny." Kate was learning that Jill really was a person and had a personality when she chose to display it. "Get married again in a real wedding dress." Suddenly the dress she was wearing wasn't so bad; it was the best she could find in this store.

"Fine, we'll take it. But Rick had better propose again or I'm going to hurt him." Kate wouldn't actually kill him or hurt him too badly, but she was going to squeeze him until he turned blue. She wasn't going to end up a single parent if she could help it since Rick was the only person she wanted to be married to.

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"Okay, the dress is being altered and will be ready in a week and the wedding's in about four weeks. Can we go see the one with the old-fashioned railway where the wedding will be?" Kate needed directions and decided that if this planet was a little backward so should their wedding be.

"Gaylord's?" Kate parked and went inside. It turned out to be a restaurant that also did weddings at various locations on their grounds including one at the railroad station followed by a ride on their railroad.

The lady Kate talked to didn't question why there was only going to be the bride and the groom and yes, they could accommodate their schedule. Since they didn't need a banquet she offered something for the two of them in their restaurant served at a table for two anywhere on their grounds they chose.

They would also coordinate with the company that Kate would be using for flowers, photography, and music. They both just had to pray that one of Hawaii's many rain showers didn't spoil it all since an outside event was sometimes risky.

Kate shrugged. "It's just the two of us, maybe we can retreat into the restaurant."

She left an hour later after making reservations, handing over her credit card that Jill kept track of and paid off each month. Then she drove home.

"Am I missing something?" Their wedding at home would have far more people, she was sure of it. It would also probably be better planned and not have that spur-of-the-moment feeling.

"Venue, dress, flowers, photography, music, food, just the two of you, rings. I have already filled out the online wedding registration, though the two of you will need to go into town to sign it. A blood test is not required here. They will need copies of your birth certificates that you already have as well as your identification and cash to pay for it. They do not accept bank cards." Jill thought they had everything covered.

"Four weeks." Kate placed a hand on her baby bump. She had a doctor's appointment in two days to check up on the baby. She was hoping she wouldn't be showing too much by that time.

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The workers had been given the day off with pay because it was a holiday. A big one, they were finding out. Something called the 4th of July. But that was in two days time, so for now everyone including Kate was working.

"Hi, babe." Kate came up to Rick and gave him a quick kiss.

"You're in a good mood. I take it the trip to the doctor went well?" Rick had worried that she would want samples from Kate that might give away that she wasn't human.

"I'm fine. She didn't want anything. I even got to see the baby and she gave me pictures." Kate handed over the one she was carrying. "This is the baby," she said as she pointed, "I think." Now that she was away from the doctor who knew for a fact she wasn't so sure.

"This is the baby?" It looked like a bunch of lines to Rick.

"She also explained why I'm a bitch sometimes." Kate hated yelling at Rick for what felt like a reason at the time but later she realized was something so completely stupid. "My hormones from being pregnant are getting to me. She said it would eventually fade, but for now I'm going to sometimes be hard to live with. I'm really sorry, babe." These were the times when she really missed her mother. She didn't have anyone to talk to about being pregnant. She didn't even have her dad to help her.

Rick hugged her and Kate tried to melt into him. He hadn't yelled back at her no matter what she said or did. "Just remember, I don't mean it." She would try and be careful but feared she would blow up on him again for something stupid.

"Three weeks," Rick reminded her. Hopefully their wedding would help her to be happy.

"Got everything. Is there something you still need?" Kate looked up at him.

"I'm all set. Just need to pick up what I'm wearing the same day you're scheduled to get your dress." It was in the same town just not the same store. "Come on, you can help us. You get the task of checking all of the spot welds that're going to hold all the batteries."

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"How are the fingers?" Rick was driving and he felt bad about her fingers. The first time she had yelled, "OW!" he had come to check on her to find that the frame for the batteries had sliced her finger.

They had a medical kit and with a Band-aid in place she went back to checking the welds. The second time she'd screamed had gotten her the use of someone's work gloves that for reasons that escaped him she had taken off.

"I'll live." She held up her hands to look at her four damaged fingers and the back of her hand that still had Band-aids on them. Not new skin, not anything her world could do for her if she had the money. No, she had strips of something on her finger along with an antibiotic ointment that was supposed to help.

Rick could have said, _"You took your gloves off," _but he didn't. Her hormones were running rampant and were still in charge of her most times. Though he had to admit that now that she understood what was happening, she was getting better. He didn't need to start a useless fight.

"Jack tells me that I'm not supposed to see you in your dress until the wedding so here you are." Rick stopped out front, kissed her, and watched her walk inside. Then using Jack he drove to the tailor's shop because his suit also needed alterations.

While Rick was putting on his suit and having the tailor look everything over, Kate was talking to the woman who was doing the work on her dress. Except the woman was doing the talking while Kate was standing there steaming as she listened to why her dress wasn't ready yet.

They both knew her arms were too long for the dress and the sleeves couldn't just be lengthened. She had to remove those, make longer ones, and stitch those to the dress in a manner that didn't make it look obvious.

"I'm sorry but this material isn't that easy to work with. I'm going to need another week," Kate was told as she stood there fuming. It was just a dress; it wasn't even the dress of her dreams to begin with. Kate took deep breaths and tried to remember that her wedding wasn't tomorrow or even next week.

"I'm really sorry but I want it to look perfect for you. Every bride deserves for her dress to look perfect. Just one more week, I promise." One of her problems was just getting the material, let alone making the adjustments.

Rick's suit was in the back of his Jeep in a box as he pulled up to find Kate standing there empty-handed. She got in and didn't say a word. Even worse was that she was silent all the way home. He parked the Jeep in the garage next to her car and watched as she got out and headed for the house.

Rick just sat there. "What happened?"

"Her dress was not ready. Apparently the material her sleeves are made of is hard to make changes to and Kate's arms were too long. She has to wait another week," Jack explained after Jill told him what had happened.

"We have time." Not that Rick dared remind her of that.

In fact Rick did everything he could to make sure where he went in the house that Kate wasn't already there and if she was he went somewhere else.

Eventually he found her floating in the pool. It had become her go-to place when she wanted to relax and calm down. "We may need a new place once we get home. One with a pool." His place didn't have a pool. First they had to get there.

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Rick found her in the kitchen next. "Need any help?" He might not cook but that didn't mean he couldn't help with something.

"No, I'm good." She put something into the oven then turned to face him. "I've been a bitch again and I'm sorry." She had tried to get away from him so that she didn't blow up on him.

Rick stepped in close to wrap his arms around her and felt her melt into him. "It might not be the wedding you dreamed of, but it _is_ a wedding. It'll work out, you'll see."

Kate didn't say anything and just let him hold her.

"About 6 months until the birth of our child. About a year or so until the ship is ready, provided that it passes all of the testing." If it failed even one test their departure would be delayed.

"What's left to do?" Kate queried.

"You or someone needs to finish inspecting the cages for the batteries. The engineering section needs finished. We need to build the hibernation units. All of the electrical. Install all of the batteries. Install the skin of the ship. Build the pilot's seat. Install all of the laptop computers. Followed by testing everything including our only way in and out of the ship." They still had a ways to go.

"What are we taking with us?" Kate was wondering about clothes, medical items, food, water, any number of things.

"Almost nothing, actually. Just what we came here with. All of our unused space suits and emergency supplies; that's about it. The ship's environmentals will keep the inside just above freezing." Ice could be a danger based on this level of technology.

"What if something goes wrong?" Did they have any options at all?

Jill popped into view. "The computers will be programmed for any number of simulations and how to counter any problems. Remember we will be in hibernation with you so the computers will be handling everything. We do not have a backup if the FTL fails at any point. The batteries are not just to keep the radiation out. They are there to provide power for the shield that is meant to prevent asteroids from holing the ship and damaging the hibernation pods. They are also meant to keep the environmentals operational as well as back-up power for the pods," Jill explained.

Then Jack appeared. "There will be no way to replace gases in the hibernation pods. If one of them leaks, someone dies. Once we arrive and the FTL shuts down, we will have limited power to make course changes. The pods are meant to be maintained until someone on the outside releases us.

"For all of us, we will go to sleep and wake up somewhere else. We will know nothing about what happened between that time. The computers will have a memory of anything that happened but that is all." Jack bowed his head since that left just one thing.

"Once we are in the hibernation units we will know nothing until we are released. If we die we will never know it. It will be painless," Jack told them. He and Jill would effectively die with them.

Kate finally asked a question because she didn't understand. "But you aren't… I mean you're computers. How does the pod affect you two?"

"Technically it does not, you are correct. However Jack and I will shut down during hibernation. We need to save power like you will need to sleep. We have no plans to connect ourselves to any of the batteries. That power is needed elsewhere," Jill said quietly.

"We live or die with you," Jack added somberly. They were all in it together.


	14. Chapter 14

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 14_

_It is 3 months later_

Kate intercepted Rick just as he pulled his Jeep into the garage. "How did it go?" She had been banished from the job site because she was now 6 months pregnant and she couldn't hide it any longer.

"The engines themselves are in place which wasn't easy. The design had them fitting like a glove. Almost no extra space was left over. Next up is the wiring. The guy for that is supposed to show up tomorrow and get started. None of us can do that kind of work." Rick managed to get out of his Jeep.

"Once the wiring for engineering is complete we're going to start installing the batteries and wiring them up. And begin wiring for the hibernation pods while the rest of us build them. Then lower them into place. After that we'll decide what comes next.

"Jack thinks we might be just a touch behind schedule but still around 9 to 10 months from now provided all of the testing shows us as being ready." Rick kissed her and headed for the house.

"And the baby?" Kate was all about the baby of late. She couldn't take her mind off of it. She'd already started her list of names.

During her last trip to the doctor they had tried to determine the sex but the baby had other plans. "Your baby's hiding. Looks like we'll have to wait for your next appointment."

"If we're on schedule and can stay there, you and the baby are going to share a pod. If we can't stay on schedule and go over by too many months we'll have to redesign and deconstruct some of the ship to make room for a third pod. Which would be hell." They didn't have room for a third pod. Everything was fitting like a glove.

Kate had a sudden worry that maybe none of them were thinking about. "What if I'm early?" As it was the baby was going to be only a few months old. She would still be breastfeeding it. Together they had nixed the idea of using the local formula. They were eating local food and while it wasn't doing anything to them, Rick and Kate had a mature immune system. The baby wouldn't.

That had Jill popping into view. "Even if you deliver prematurely, the baby will be small and its growth will be slower. Since you are smaller than Rick it only makes sense for you and the baby to share a pod. The inserts for each pod will go in last. That way each person will be comfortable while they sleep." Jill had already thought about that.

"Are we going to be naked? Or do we wear something?" If they were only going to get out after they were rescued she wasn't sure she wanted to be naked. The baby could go naked; she didn't have a problem with that.

"We are going to have a suit designed for you. About 3 months before launch we're going to have it made and then shipped to Hawaii. That should leave enough time for it to arrive. We need for the gas to reach all of you, so it will need to breathe. It is also going to be skin-tight," Jill added.

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Jim got up to greet her. "Hi, Martha."

"Hello, Jim. Did you get us a table?" This was their third meeting and this time she was going to show him how and what the other side ate and where.

"I wasn't sure they would let me. I don't really fit in here." Nor was he dressed for here, though to be honest neither was Martha.

Martha flipped her hand. "Nonsense." She was sure they would and didn't want him thinking he wasn't worth it. "I have a reservation so let's get seated." Martha headed for the 2 girls manning the receptionist station.

"Rodgers, party of two." She watched them scan a screen that popped up in midair out of nowhere.

The receptionist picked up 2 tiny cards. "Right this way." She led them deeper into the restaurant that had Jim looking all over the place. It looked nothing like any restaurant he had ever been inside of. She stopped at a table made for just 2 people and yet in this restaurant there were only 3 other two-person tables in view. The entire place was a little dark save for the lights directly over their table and the other tables. If he didn't know better he would think this was a romantic date.

They were told their server would be right with them.

"So how have you been?" Martha had learned about Jim from her son and while her heart had taken an instant critical hit, her next thought was how Jim was taking the news. It had been only 3 weeks after being told that the search for the ship and any surviving escape shuttles had been ended.

That had been followed by declaring everyone on the cruise ship deceased. Martha found herself rich and while she wanted to go out and drink herself into a rich oblivion, it was Jim that kept her sane.

"Better, I think. Trying not to fall into the same trap as last time," Jim said. Living with Katie gone was tough on him.

"Richard is the first person that close to my heart that I've lost. I may be twice-divorced now, but that hurt nothing like this. I still can't believe the pain you must be in. …I keep telling myself that it was fast and they didn't feel any pain." Except Martha didn't believe a word of it.

"Pirates." Jim shook his head and went through everything they'd been told all over again in just a moment. Being told that the military had been in the area and hadn't saved them hadn't helped any.

"The stupid military!" Martha placed all of the blame on them. For not finding the pirates in the first place. For not stopping them from firing on an unarmed civilian ship filled with people. Then listening to them talk about that same civilian ship jumping into FTL suddenly and not being able to find the ship again. They had finally deemed them dead because by now the ship would be out of power if it was even in one piece since it had taken hits before vanishing.

"We came here to eat, so let's eat." Martha tapped her card, watched the 3D menu pop up in front of her, and started looking to make a selection.

Jim had never seen anything like it and mimicked what Martha had done. Most of what was listed he recognized even if the names were different. Then he saw the cost. "Martha… This is a week's pay." They shouldn't be eating here. This kind of money would keep him fed for far longer than just one meal.

"Not anymore." Martha had a surprise but was hanging onto it for now. "Just pick what you like and let's eat." They had skipped getting drinks. Jim didn't dare or he might never stop again and Martha had decided to never drink alcohol in front of him. She drank at home only or when she went out to eat without him.

Jim didn't like it but he picked something that was one of the least costly items on the menu. He didn't fail to notice that Martha didn't follow his lead.

"How is your play?" He knew she was an actress and that what she was in was a dedication to how plays used to be countless years ago.

"They're thinking about shutting it down." It wasn't that the play was that bad or that people didn't come to see it. But the companies that were funding them were beginning to question if they should continue to support it.

"I'm sorry." She had sounded so happy that the play was still going all this time.

Martha waved her hand at him which he was finding was typical for her. Anything that was bad news she just blew off and moved on. She had far more strength than he had.

"It ends or it doesn't. Either way I'll find something to do." Martha was determined to not let anything get to her. She had lost enough already.

They finally ordered their food and went through another round of fruity drinks.

"How are this Gina and… What was her name? Paula?" He had listened to what Martha had to go through to get Rick's money that had been listed in his will. Since Rick didn't have a book to publish because he was dead, Gina wanted his advance back.

Once again Martha waved her hand. "Henry took care of all that. All I know is that she didn't get her money." Martha was just glad she never saw Gina again.

"And Paula?" Jim knew she had really managed to press Martha's buttons.

"That woman!" Martha growled. As if losing her son wasn't bad enough, Paula showed up with her grand plan. "I've always know some women could be bitches and while I've hated the term…" She was a woman after all and it reflected badly on her sex. "That woman gives new meaning to the term BITCH." Martha wished she had some alcohol to kill the pain.

"She still at it?" Jim knew what Paula wanted since Martha had explained it to him. To him it sounded like exploitation of a dead person for their own personal gain. Granted as Martha had explained it she was trying to keep Rick's memory alive and keep his books in circulation. But it just sounded sick to him. Rick was dead.

"Would you believe she actually wants me to go to a book signing and sign either for him or sign my name. …ME!" Martha reached for her glass of water, wishing it held something else.

Jim chuckled softly. "Let me guess what you told her." He'd learned that Martha wasn't shy and that she didn't give up on anything. He was betting she was why Rick never gave up on his Katie.

"Oh, I told her what she could do with her book signing, all right. The nerve of that woman." Martha was starting to get mad all over again before she took a deep breath and let her anger wash away.

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They both stopped just outside the front door of the restaurant. They needed to decide what to do next. When they are arrived it hadn't been raining but it was now.

"Same time next week?" Martha didn't want to lose track of him. Her son was gone and so was his daughter. Jim was about all she had left. "OH! One more thing." She fished the card out of her pocket and handed it to him.

"What's this?" He had seen this type of card before so he knew what it was, just not what it said.

"Open it when you get home and don't be late. They're expecting you." Martha had put a lot of effort into getting him an interview. All he had to do was sell himself and he would be poor no longer. Maybe not as rich as she was now, but certainly richer.

"Take care of yourself, Jim." Martha held his arm for a moment and then ran for it. It was time to go home.

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Jim was dressed in the very best he had even if it didn't fit him perfectly anymore. He'd never even been in this building let alone worked inside it.

He still didn't see how Martha had done it or even why. Okay, that last part might be a lie. He knew why. He stopped just outside of the building and looked up. It was a shining example of what could be built on this planet. It had only taken months to build this massively tall building and that included taking down the building that used to be there.

This building screamed rich. A type of rich that he knew so very little about. It wasn't that the poor like himself were ignored. It was just that he held no power of any kind.

Jim went inside with his résumé that was printed on a single piece of paper. Jim had no choice but to go old school. It was what he had and feared greatly that as soon as they saw it they would show him the door.

He never noticed his entire body being scanned. He also didn't notice the armed police that were waiting for someone stupid enough to try and gain entrance.

The pod took him straight to their floor. "Please have a seat. Mr. Jackson will be with you in a moment," Jim was told and since he didn't dare sit for fear of not being able to get up he decided to stand.

"Mr. Beckett." A younger man dressed in the very latest and most modern of suits stepped out and shook his hand. "If you'll come with me." He led Jim deeper into the office and into a small conference room.

"Paper." He actually sounded happy to see it when Jim handed over his résumé.

Jim watched him read and then maybe even reread. "You're probably wondering why," Jackson said.

"Pretty much." He had no business even being in this building let alone in this office.

"It's actually pretty simple. The type of people we serve can afford us. However, we've come to understand after a lengthy amount of research and debate that we can increase our profit if we can find people like yourself. People that can't afford us but can afford _you._

"We've already done our own research on you. We learned where you studied law, where you placed in your class. We even gained access to all of your test scores. Granted your school of choice didn't allow you placement with a good firm like ours. But we have a plan." His school of choice and his present position made him a perfect candidate.

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Jim, after four hours of being asked questions, was leaving that same building. His mind was still in the clouds and parts of him felt like he had just been taken apart and then put back together again.

He had gotten a, _"Sorry for your loss__,__"_ meaning they knew about Katie. Regardless, he was also walking out with not just a modern pad, but also a security card and a copy of the offer that he had signed.

He wasn't their kind of rich now, but in his mind he was rich. Stinking rich. Or would be after his first paycheck. He wasn't going to be serving their kind of rich but they were branching out to serve people more like himself or a little better off.

Most of the power came in the name he was now serving. They only hired the very best. Naturally he wouldn't be working in this building. They'd purchased a different building for their annex firm. Something that people he would be serving would be more comfortable in.

He was in his little apartment that he had shared with Katie. In fact all of her things were even still there. He hadn't had the heart to get rid of any of it. Much like a lot of the belongings that had been his wife's were also still there.

It was then that he started laughing. It was that or cry. Laughing seemed to fit his present condition a little better. He also realized that he needed to find a way to thank Martha for this. How she had gotten him an introduction escaped him. Rick was the one that was that kind of rich even if he wasn't all that rich. He knew Martha never had been. So HOW?

He started in 2 days at his new office, doing his new work. He just needed to pack up what he had at where he worked now and move in. His new employer was going to clear everything with his old employer.

Jim walked to his phone and called Martha. He needed to thank her now and come up with something to show how thankful he was. Except she didn't answer so he left a message. Their weekly meeting was a few days from now. He would thank her and ask her why and how when they met.

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Martha had insisted on paying for their weekly meetings at a restaurant even if they did take turns in picking the places for them to eat. It had allowed Jim to eat in places he would otherwise have never even set foot inside of. This time it was his choice.

"It's cute." Martha approved of his choice of the day after meeting him at the front door.

"Two for Beckett," Jim told them and followed them to their seats.

Jim wasted no time. "I need to thank you for what you did, even if I don't know how you did it."

As was typical for Martha she waved it off as being no big deal. "I take it it worked." They had hired him obviously.

"I'll say. One of the biggest law firms in the country hired me." He still couldn't believe it. He hadn't gone to the very best college since he couldn't afford it. True he had gotten really good grades but people like him didn't get jobs like this.

"They're planning an expansion and they want me in it. I haven't gotten my first paycheck yet but I'll be earning 6 months of what I would've earned at my old job in just 2 weeks at my new job." He was rich. Yes, there were people that were far richer, like every lawyer in that office for starters. But in his mind he was rich.

"Good, now we can go looking for a new apartment for you. I love spending other people's money." Martha wanted in on this apartment search.

"May I ask why?" Why had she done it? She didn't have to do anything and was just happy to eat out once a week.

"That's easy, you're family." That was the way Martha saw him. She saw him start to shake his head. She was a Rodgers or Castle while he was a Beckett. "Richard dearly loved Katherine. Love wins out over everything. If they were here today they would be married by now. Which makes you family and family helps each other," Martha explained matter-of-factly.

"I just wish I'd had a chance to spoil my grandchildren." She was going to outlive her own son and that had tears starting to form in her eyes yet again. She fought them off.

"Katie did only talk about Rick. She wouldn't admit it but I knew she loved him, too." His eyes began to tear up knowing that he wasn't going to get to give her away. He wasn't going to have grandchildren. He was going to live out his life alone.

"See, family. …So what's good here?" Martha turned her attention to the menu. She quickly found that the options here were better than the places he normally selected for them.


	15. Chapter 15

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 15_

_It is 3 months later_

Kate was so ready to be no longer pregnant. She was willing to be banished from the construction site. She had seen pregnant women before and she was certain she was larger than any of them.

Her feet were swollen or at least she was sure they were since they hurt a little. Her back ached even more if she wasn't careful. Then there were her breasts. She had new bras to support the larger size and while Rick might like them, she wanted them to go back to normal. It was what she was used to.

She was also hungry and but didn't dare eat anything extra. She wanted to go back to her original size and greatly feared that she would keep all of the baby weight. She had seen woman after pregnancy that never got rid of the extra pounds. That was why the spare bedroom had been taken over with exercise equipment. She planned on using them after giving birth. At least that was the plan.

At the moment, though, she was trapped. Instead of heading for the pool she'd chosen to sit down way out on the edge next to the fire pit. She was trapped because the Adirondack chair was deep and the back of the seat angled down toward the ground. Getting back up was proving to be a challenge for her.

"I DON'T WANT TO BE PREGNANT ANY MORE!" Kate yelled at whoever was in earshot. Not that anyone was. She tried to get out of her chair one more time. Except all it did was reinforce the knowledge that she was trapped unless she came up with a new plan.

"STUPID CHAIR!" She was sure she wouldn't be having this problem at home. "Jill, where's Rick?" She knew he had gone to the construction site but was hoping he was on his way home.

"Rick is still at the site," Jill reported and Kate moaned. Kate immediately thought up a new plan. "Tell him that my water broke and I need him home."

"But your water has not broken," Jill countered.

"JILL!" Kate yelled.

Jill caved in instantly even though there was nothing that Kate could do to her. "Telling Jack to inform Rick that your water has broken."

Kate was unhappy while she waited. She tried yet again to get out of the stupid chair. She didn't remember this chair being such a problem when she wasn't pregnant.

"What the hell!" That was when she felt something pop. She moved her hand to verify her suspicion and it came back wet. "My water _did_ break. …JILL!" Jill was all she had at the moment.

It was 15 minutes later when Rick, huffing and puffing from sprinting from the front door all the way out to the farthest part of their house, gasped out, "Contractions?" as he bent over and worked at sucking in oxygen.

"Help me up." Kate raised her arms for him to take and pull her out of the chair.

"Can you make it to the Jeep? I'll get your bag," Rick offered since going to the hospital – which wasn't all that close – was next.

"I'll make it." Kate started walking now that she was up and was doing it with one hand on the middle of her back since it needed support and ached fiercely. "Stupid chair."

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Rick blurting out, "We're having a baby!" got Kate moved to a room so a nurse could look at her. Then she left the room in a hurry after looking at Kate. "WHAT! What's wrong?" Rick yelled at her retreating back. He was half tempted to look for himself. After all it wasn't like he hadn't seen her private parts before. It was just that this was childbirth and maybe Kate didn't want anyone to see.

The nurse soon returned with a different woman. "Hi, I'm Doctor Kelekolio. Let's see what we've got here, shall we?" The doctor took a look. "Wow, your baby's in a hurry. This is your first child?" She couldn't believe that Kate was already fully dilated and ready to give birth. She got a yes from both of them. "Let's get her moved and get ready. This baby wants to greet us fast."

The next thing Kate and Rick knew she was being moved, mostly stripped, and Rick was all gowned up.

"Can I please push now?" Kate had been holding it and the pain was mounting.

"We're all set, you can push at the next contraction." A moment later Kate was grunting and then screaming as she pushed. The pain was bad; it felt like she was pushing half of herself out and that it was trapped.

"I've got the head. Just a couple more pushes." Doctor Kelekolio was still amazed. She had never had a baby want to come this fast or be delivered this easily. Sure Kate was screaming but she was used to that.

"It's a boy!" both Kate and Rick were told even if they already knew that. She cut the cord and was just handing off the baby to Kate before taking him back from her and cleaning him up.

Kate whispered his name, kissed him, and breathed in his special scent. "Aiden Robert Castle." They had both agreed on the first name and Kate had suggested to use Robert for his middle name in honor of their friend who had lost his life. There was one thing about this planet and their wedding ceremony. That was Kate changing her last name and take on Rick's last name. So now the Castle family was bigger.

"Doctor!" The nurse had begun cleaning up Kate when suddenly an afterbirth larger than she'd ever seen before came out of Kate. Both of them scrambled to clean it all up and then clean up Kate.

Then the baby was taken away and cleaned. "How do you feel?" Rick had been amazed by it all. It was fast and looked and sounded painful which gave him new respect for Kate and what she had to do for them to have a child.

"I love him! I love him so much." She had considered herself too young to have a child and wasn't sure she really wanted a baby. Over time she started to come around but still wasn't sure. However she'd had a chance to hold her baby and knew she loved him.

"We're going to move you and give you your baby as soon as he is nice and clean and examined," Doctor Kelekolio said.

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The next time they saw the doctor she didn't have their son with her. "We're having a little trouble with determining the baby's blood type for the records," she told them. It was needed for the birth certificate.

But Jack and Jill had already anticipated this problem. They had even coached the two of them in just what to say. "You should check again. You might be looking at what someone wrote but not what someone put into the system," Rick advised her.

The doctor didn't see how, but then doctors' handwriting tended to be notoriously horrible so maybe. She left to do just that.

"This going to work?" Rick questioned once she was gone.

"The computer record has already been adjusted. If she believes that over what was written after the blood test everything should be fine. Provided she does not do another blood test herself and believes what she finds." They weren't out of the woods just yet.

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About thirty minutes later a nurse came in carrying their baby boy and handed him off to Kate. "We're still having a little trouble with the blood test results. What's in our system doesn't match the card that was filled out. But he appears to be perfectly healthy and should be hungry soon. We just need to know if you want to try breastfeeding or should we get a bottle ready?"

Kate wasn't paying any attention to what she was saying. She had her baby in her arms and was looking him over, gently stroking her fingers over the tiny body and kissing his almost hairless head.

"We're going to try breastfeeding, thank you." Rick was a little more into the game than Kate was at the moment.

"Just press the button after the feeding or if you have any trouble and need a bottle. In either case we'll be back to collect him so he can rest." The nurse left them alone together.

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They got to take their baby home with them the next day, late in the day. Doctor Kelekolio was still having trouble with just what his blood type was. To her the card she had written on was clear. Except what was in the system was something else. They would decide how they were going to clear up the difference but had no solid reason to keep them or the child. The hospital administrator didn't want a lawsuit on his hands.

Kate was already learning what life was going to be like with a newborn that needed something almost every two hours. Rick wasn't really able to help her. She couldn't pump using the technology on this planet yet. That and her breasts weren't ready at this point. At least they had everything else they needed for their new baby boy.

Rick didn't go to the job site the next day and stayed with Kate even if he couldn't do all that much.

Hearing the baby cry had Kate groaning since she hadn't really been asleep even though she'd been trying. She gingerly got of bed and went to the crib to find out what he needed this time. As usual it was a new diaper and feeding. Since Rick wasn't in the room he arrived a little late. What he saw filled his heart but also had him worried. "You look like hell." Kate's hair, which had gotten longer, was a tangled mess. Her face had _TIRED_ written all over it. Kate was barely awake and glared at him. "Is there anything I can do to help, love?" There had to be something. Kate was almost killing herself by feeling the need to do everything herself. "Maybe next time it'll be just a diaper change so you don't have to get up."

"Maybe," Kate yawned. She wasn't stupid. "Maybe you could grow a pair of breasts filled with milk." She couldn't help but laugh a little. It was something he had no chance of doing. Still she needed to let him help her. "Fine, the next time he starts crying you can look."

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One month later and Kate and Rick had actually started to get a handle on how to handle living with a newborn baby.

Kate had finally been able to start pumping and putting her milk either in the refrigerator or the freezer for later. Now when Aiden cried and wanted to be fed it didn't have to be her that fed him. It also allowed Rick a chance to be with his child. A chance to bond and get to know his son.

Kate actually walked into the room while Rick was feeding Aiden. He saw Kate was sweating and huffing and puffing. "How do you feel?" She had started using the exercise equipment daily that was now in the spare bedroom. She was determined to lose all that baby weight.

"Tired. …Better." Kate bent over and put her hands on her knees. She was so determined she might actually be overdoing it a bit. "I still feel weak. I can't even squeeze the weight I used to be able to."

"You make that sound like a bad thing." Rick smiled at her since for him it meant he was going to get to keep breathing.

"That's going to change, babe. You just wait and see." She wasn't giving up on having that much control over him that easily.

"We can maybe test that if you can." Rick suggestively arched his eyebrows a couple of times.

Kate was well aware that he was suggesting that he plant his head firmly between her spread legs and eat her pussy until she couldn't think straight any longer.

"Let me get started on dinner and we can test out that theory after Aiden goes to sleep. And maybe after I pump a little." Her breasts felt full and she either needed to feed her son or pump. Or both. "You're going to need the energy." All she had to do was lay there and have orgasms. Rick would be the one doing all the work.

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Kate was right where she wanted to be, with just one exception: she wasn't home. But being naked next to Rick who was equally naked after making love to him was really special.

She knew she had delayed this with her fears that Rick would reject her, be unhappy with her sexually, or would finally decide that she wasn't what he wanted. But here she was. She was married and they had a family.

"You're thinking rather loudly over there." Rick twisted in place so that he could face her since he was now awake. "What are you thinking about so loudly?"

Kate knew her thoughts weren't loud and that he couldn't read her mind. Which might be both a good thing and a bad thing. "Just happy." She was on the wrong planet and away from her family but she was happy. "How's the ship coming?" Were they back to being on time or still behind a little?

"My being here instead of there has slowed us down a bit, but I wouldn't change it any. I don't want to miss out." His son meant a lot to him.

"We're starting to put the batteries in place and wire them. Soon the hibernation pods will get dropped in and wired in. Then the gas tanks will follow and they'll be hooked up. Including the mechanical valves that are connected to the computers. Maybe in a month we'll be able to start putting on the skin," Rick explained.

"So two months and we can go home?" Kate was fixated on that.

"Maybe. We've made a little modification to the plan." Rick broke it to her. "Jack and Jill suggested it and I went with it without you."

"So you're going to be in the pod instead of piloting it when we take off." Kate already knew and saw his shocked face. "Jill explained it to me."

Rick shook his head. "I should have known. Yeah, this was so we can add more batteries in case of emergencies. Jack and Jill have guaranteed that the program can handle the launch, getting into orbit, then activating the FTL, and monitoring everything while we sleep."

Kate remained silent and wasn't really looking at anything. "Scared?" She had cause to be. They were going to be sleeping when they left this planet and sleeping for the entire trip. They weren't just relying on Jack and Jill. They were relying on the computer system that was using all local technology. Relying on the work that everyone they had hired had done.

Yes, they would do tests before they even left the ground. It was just this ship wasn't designed to land again. Once they started up they either made orbit and got into FTL or they crashed and died. Or they got trapped in orbit and slept until they died. Or the FTL failed along the way and they slept until they died. Or a meteor storm turned their ship and them into Swiss cheese.

"A little I guess. …But I want to go home. I don't hate this planet exactly, but I really want to be home." They'd both ignored the politics, the economy, and the environment. They knew who was President of the United States. But they only knew his name and that was almost all they knew. They didn't even pay attention to local politics. They weren't staying long enough to care. What these people did to their planet was their problem.

Hearing Aiden start crying had Rick moving. Kate stopped him. "I'll go, baby. I haven't pumped tonight yet so I need to feed him." She rolled out of bed to pick him up.

"On second thought, you can change his diaper while I clean up a little." Kate smelled something and wasn't interested in changing a messy diaper. Not dirty diaper, she meant messy diaper.

She was in the bathroom cleaning her breasts and then some of the rest of her. "EWW!" Rick had found the problem which made her smile. He wanted to help so she was letting him help.

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Kate was back to take her son from her husband now that his diaper was changed and he was clean, not stinky.

"You know there was a time when even you made diapers that messy." Rick got in his shot and started to leave her behind.

Kate opened her mouth to challenge that statement, however part of her told her that he was correct. She may have. That was when it really sunk in. _She was a mommy! _She was her mother. That was also the moment when she really wished her mother could see her grandson. She really missed those _I told you so_ moments.

"I'm coming, Dad, I'm coming." She still had one parent to share this time with. She just had to get there.

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Kate was still banished from the construction site. First it was because she was pregnant and now she was banished because she had a baby.

"Is it really that dangerous?" She hadn't seen the ship in months and the last time she'd seen it it didn't really look like much. Certainly not a spaceship.

Jill responded, "Probably not, but are you willing to risk it?"

"Yet it'll be safe enough when it's done for the three of us to get inside and blast off for home," Kate snapped.

"Calculated risks," Jill asserted.

"Rick could at least take pictures and bring them home for me to see." She had seen the design but really wanted to see it.

"Go to the TV," Jill said. It was a simple enough thing for her and Jack to do. He scanned images and sent them to Jill who sent them to the TV for Kate to view them.

"TV?" Kate didn't get it but took Aiden with her, went to the TV, and turned it on. She instantly began seeing pictures of not just the ship but where it was being built. "WOW!" The bottom section had skin and the upper one third had exposed batteries and cables that connected them to each other. It was actually sitting on jack stands so that the rings were now floating and not sitting on the floor. She could even see the probes out the front and where the shield was anchored to deflect asteroids and space dust from hitting them.

"Is it just the skin that's left?" Maybe they were actually on schedule or maybe now ahead of schedule.

"Skin, computers being routed to each other, a little more electrical wiring, and testing of all the systems. If even one fails it will set us back until we can diagnose the failure and fix it," Jill explained.

"So still about on schedule." Kate was ready to go home.

"About two months taking into account there will be at least one or two failures during testing." Jill was sure there would be one or more. That was the reason for the tests. Better now than when it was too late.


	16. Chapter 16

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 16_

_It is 3 months later_

Kate kept peeking at Aiden as she stripped next to Rick with the intent of putting on her going home flight suit that had been made just for them to Jack and Jill's specifications. Except she was having trouble with her buttons to get her shirt off.

"Damn it!" Getting it off had never been this difficult. Rick abandoned getting his own shirt off and stepped over in front of her to work on her buttons. He had undone her buttons countless number of times so it wasn't that hard.

"Nervous?" Heaven knew he was.

"We're going home. …Home!" Kate was almost ready to be sick with all the butterflies that were flying around inside of her. "This is going to work, right?" She looked at Aiden again. They were all far too young to die out in space inside of a ship that they had built.

"The tests have all finally come back clean." They were actually plagued with test failures so they were a few weeks behind schedule. First to fail had been the hibernation units. They used the same lines for the test as they were going to use for the gases. It was just that there was a leak somewhere. It turned out to be in the lines connected to the couplings at the hibernation units as well as the gas tanks. They had at first suspected the units themselves and had gone over every inch of the unit, ultimately wasting time. That had shown that one of the mounts holding one in place was damaged somehow.

Then came a problem with some of the batteries that was far easier to chase down. After that was a connection error with some of the computers that turned out to be the easiest to solve.

"All tests have been completed three times. We just have to get up into orbit and we're almost there." Rick knew it was a lot harder than that, but getting into orbit past all the junk that was up there was their first hurdle.

Rick dropped her shirt on the bed and went back to work on his clothes. Kate was left to finish stripping. They couldn't be wearing anything but their flight suits. That meant no undergarments of any kind. They were going to be wearing their suits while Aiden was going to be naked, safely tucked in his mother's arms.

"Bathroom!" Kate almost forgot as she started to put her suit on. They were supposed to empty their bodies before going into hibernation.

Rick went next and came back out naked just in time to see Kate close up her suit using what this planet called Velcro. While he suited up Kate checked on Aiden who was now awake.

"Are you ready, too?" Kate cooed at him as she checked his diaper that was going to come off once they reached the ship. "Yes, you are. You're such a good boy." She took his dirty diaper off him, cleaned him up, and then picked him up to hold him tight to her and kiss him.

Kate felt tears starting as her fears and hopes began to collide. They'd built this ship using local technology. It wasn't built by a company from home that knew something about building spaceships. This thing wasn't even a kit that you bought and put together yourself.

"Hey, hey, sweetheart. Everything's going to be fine." Rick had his worries but needed to be strong and secure in the belief that this was going to work. Kate needed his support and he was going to give it to her.

"I know." Her voice broke in a sob. "I just can't help it." She took a shaky breath and wiped at her tears. This was either the beginning of the end or the end of the beginning.

"We should go." All the workers had the weekend off and had been told that people representing the movie would be showing up to take possession of what they had built at the beginning of the week. There'd been questions about where those people had been all this time. However Jack and Jill had come up with something and had used their own voices to call and talk to each of them on occasion. It had been just enough for them.

This was Kate's only second time seeing the completed ship. It was actually a little larger than she remembered from seeing it last time. There was a simple ladder to reach the access door to gain entrance. "How do we get out?" Kate looked up and saw nothing but roof. Building inside the huge structure had meant working inside and out of the weather. There were even fans set up to blow in fresh air everywhere. They just had to open doors and or windows to allow the air to get in.

"It's rigged. Press a button and the room will fall away, hopefully not on us." Some of the panels were designed to simply fall away but not actually fall to the floor. Other panels were going to fall to the floor.

"We need to get you and Aiden into your hibernation unit. I'll press the button, climb up and arrange for take off, then go into my unit. Take a look around, this is the last you're going to see it." No more home on a far away planet. No more construction site.

"Goodbye Earth." Kate was really ready to get off this planet and go home.

The ladder was a utilitarian vertical ladder that Rick would kick away before closing the door and sealing them inside. Kate went up one rung at a time while hanging onto Aiden who was wide awake and taking it all in. Rick went up faster and opened her unit. "It's molded specifically for you. Just hold Aiden tight to you and go to sleep." He helped her step into the unit, holding Aiden to her chest.

Jill had already explained to her just what was going to happen. The unit would close and seal itself. The computer would activate the gas that would fill the unit. There was one tiny little LED light so she wouldn't be in total blackness, not that there was going to be anything to see. Neither of them were going to see out and no one was going to be able to look in until the unit was opened.

Neither of them would remember or even notice that they were flying through space in FTL for roughly an entire year.

"See you on the other side, my love." Rick leaned in and kissed her, with both hoping that it wasn't going to be their very last kiss.

Then Rick stroked the head of his little boy. "Mommy has you, nothing's going to happen." Then he kissed his son's head. Followed by yet another kiss, just in case. "Close your eyes. When you open them we'll be home." _I hope__,_he thoughtas he closed the pod and pressed _ENTER _on her computer.

Next he went back down the ladder and pressed the button to release the roof panels. He smiled as he watched all of them fall away just as planned. Then he clapped his hands over his ears as some of them hit the concrete floor, making an enormous amount of noise.

He had a set of tasks left to do on this planet: climb the ladder and kick it away, start the computers, step into his unit, go to sleep.

What none of them saw were the rings beginning to turn and the engines firing and lifting them up into the air. They also missed hearing the local air traffic control trying to contact them since they were now showing up on their radar screens and watching as they flew out over the Pacific Ocean, climbing higher and higher all the time.

They were far enough out and high enough that it was far too late for them to contact the military and have them arrange an intercept.

The ship slipped silently through the massive mess of junk that was in orbit. While in high orbit the ship actually completed one entire orbit before the rings started to really spin and the engines for the FTL system began to fire up.

The computers detected no errors and waited for the power to build up.

When the program detected all greens for all systems, the ship went into FTL and vanished from radar in an instant. It created a great stir within parts of the military. However, none of them had any useful answers. While the military knew something, the general public never knew anything.

All five of them never noticed a thing as they spent time inside their hibernation units. They also never saw their workers come to the job site to find the ship gone and no one from any of the movie companies ever came.

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Kate began hacking and coughing and actually tried to sit up but something she couldn't see stopped her. It hurt and she felt like shit. Everything hurt and she wanted to throw up. Breathing hurt, lying there hurt, her skin felt like needles were being poked into every inch of her.

She kind of saw an image but she also heard someone talk to her. "I have summoned a nurse."

It hurt and she started to cry from all the pain. "Miss Beckett, can you hear me?" Then there was a sudden new pain when she tried to say something.

"You have hibernation sickness, we are trying to attend to you," Kate could barely make out.

"My…baby …Husband?" It hurt so much to talk. She hardly noticed when someone else came running in and spoke to the other.

She was almost unconscious as she watched lights pass by above her. One after the other, over and over again until they stopped and the lights turned into one constant blue light.

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Kate woke up and looked around. Nothing looked familiar. She was surrounded by something and it had a kind of blue glow to it. She tried to speak but couldn't. There something was in her mouth and she couldn't spit it out. That was when she tried to move, to get what was in her mouth out. Except she was restrained. She jerked her head to look all around her. Her vision was blurry and everything was distorted. But she could sort of see people dressed in uniforms of some type.

"Mrs. Castle, you need to relax. You're in a healing tank and need to relax. Mrs. Castle, please. Let the tank do its work." She could hear the voice but didn't really see anyone clearly. It didn't stop her from frantically moving around to try and free herself.

She was filled with many questions but she couldn't talk even though she tried. She also wanted to move her arms so she could pull out whatever was in her mouth.

A moment later she felt sleepy and tried to fight it, but sleep won out and she closed her eyes.

A short time later a doctor entered the room. "What happened?" He looked directly at Kate who looked normal to him. She was wearing something that barely concealed her more private parts. Other than that she was totally naked.

"The patient woke up, Doctor, and started thrashing about. She refused to calm down so we gave her a mild sedative. She isn't totally asleep but not totally awake, either. It should only last a couple of hours." She hated to do it but if she hadn't her patient might have hurt herself.

The doctor knew it was a normal occurrence when waking up inside a tank. "Try and get her to calm down. If she refuses, take her out of the tank and we'll do it the hard way." He looked over all the readings and liked what he saw so he left her to the nurse for now.

"Any sign that the ankle bracelet that couldn't be removed is interfering?" That was the only part of her that couldn't be removed.

"No, Doctor." The nurse returned to looking at the readings and then watching Kate. "Just sleep for now, Mrs. Castle. Two more hours might be enough."

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Rick woke up and realized that his vision was blurry. Not horribly so, it was just that everything refused to go into focus. Then he felt something in his mouth that just had to go. He began thrashing around, trying to reach it to pull it out.

"Mr. Castle, you need to relax. You're in a medical tank. You're suffering the after affects of hibernation. MR. CASTLE, ARE YOU LISTENING TO ME? You need to stop or I'll be forced to to give you a sedative." The nurse had already called for the doctor and was now trying to calm Rick down.

"Our patient is awake." The doctor arrived and started looking over all the readouts.

"He's still a little disoriented, but coming around slowly. He's at least calmed down somewhat." Rick was still moving, just not thrashing and actually hitting the glass.

"Mr. Castle, I'm Dr. Elizabeth Doyle. I need you to use your fingers to answer my questions. One for yes and two for no. Do you understand?" The doctor waited and finally saw one finger.

"Very good, Mr. Castle. You can't talk while in the tank so just relax and let it work. I'm sure you have many questions so let me try and answer some of them before letting you go back to sleep. Your wife and son are in different hospitals. All three of you were suffering from hibernation sickness. Each hospital only has the one medical tank. The three of you were fortunate that three of the hospitals had empty units. Beyond that I can't tell you much.

"Your ship exited FTL and almost collided with another ship. Your arrival created quite the stir of excitement. Your ship is presently in holding. I don't know anything about the condition of your family. We're focusing on you." The doctor watched as his eyes slipped shut.

"Asleep. Keep monitoring him. He has another twenty-four hours in there." She was only concerned about her patient and nothing else. The readings told them both that Rick was feeling some pain but it was being controlled. "And keep monitoring that watch that we couldn't take off in case it interferes with his treatment." None of them understood why it was the only item they couldn't take off.

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Kate slowly blinked her eyes open. It was a little bright which had her squinting. Then she heard a voice. "Dimming the lights. A nurse has been summoned." She didn't really see anyone so tried to look around after the lights dimmed somewhat.

She was alone and the space she was in was tiny. Almost a coffin in size. There was a small amount of pain but it wasn't bad. For the most part there was nothing to see.

"Mrs. Castle, how are you feeling?" Kate watched as the woman pressed something on space above her that she couldn't see.

"Where am I?" Kate ignored the question.

"You are in Ichilov located in the city of Petah Tikva. Your ship came out of FTL and almost crashed into another ship. After gaining entrance we found the three of you in hibernation. You were at first identified as being Miss Beckett. Once we found out your name was Mrs. Castle, you were moved to this hospital. We only had the one medical tank so the rest of your family were sent to different hospitals," the nurse explained then reached down to her, lifted Kate's hand, pressed a device against her skin, then looked at it.

"Aiden?" She was finding it difficult to talk. She really wanted to know where her son was.

"As I said your family was separated and sent to different hospitals. Our primary concern is your health, however, I'll inquire as to how the others are doing for you. You can expect to be with us for at least another twenty-four hours. Any other questions?" Kate looked to be doing well to her.

Kate's mind was still a little foggy but she had most everything she cared about save for one thing. "Home?" Had they made it home?

"This is planet Galsec Seven. You're still several light years from your home planet. A message has been sent to the authorities on your planet concerning your arrival. For now just focus on getting better. Press here or simply call out if you need anything." The nurse left her.

Kate looked around as her head began to clear and things came more into focus. It looked like she was in a bed that was located in some kind of alcove and she was almost totally surrounded save for that one side.

She was rather tired; she closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.

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"How is he doing?" A doctor stepped up next to the nurse.

"He's doing great. He woke up for a short time two hours ago then went back to sleep. He just finished being fed his first meal about ten minutes ago. The system is ready for anything now that he's out of the medical tank." The nurse smiled at him then looked down at a now sleeping little baby boy.

"I'm sure his parents will want an update so please gather together all the information and send it to me. I'll pass it along to the other hospitals," he said to the nurse.

"Yes, Doctor." She would do it because if this was her baby she would be going mad by now.

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Rick was wide awake and looking around. He was in what he took to be a hospital room. There were a couple of attachments hooked up to him though none of them appeared to be intrusive.

He found his watch but Jack failed to respond. He was concerned that the trip had damaged him somehow. Then a woman in white walked in. "Mr. Castle, I'm Dr. Doyle. I see you're finally totally awake. How are you feeling?" She sort of ignored Rick as she stepped to the panel and looked over all of the readings.

"Not bad. Where's Kate and our son, Aiden?" He had yet to see either of them.

"You were found in hibernation pods. We had to separate your family since no single hospital here has more than one medical tank to handle hibernation sickness. I've just received data on your son. He's reported to be doing fine and has taken to being bottle fed without too much difficulty.

"At first your wife was identified as being Katherine Beckett. She was initially taken to a hospital that was willing to help her. That was until we correctly identified her as Mrs. Castle. She was then moved to a different hospital and placed in a medical tank similar to the one you were in.

"A medical tank on this planet is basically what it sounds like. It's filled with oxygenated water that has a number of healing medications added. Since you are immersed into the tank a breather is required which prevents you from talking to us," the doctor explained.

Rick knew home didn't use tanks any longer. It wasn't the latest in technology. "This isn't home?"

"I'm sorry, no, this is Galsec Seven. You're several light years from your home planet. Roughly another five days of travel in FTL. Your arrival generated a lot of alarms in this system. I'm not sure who presently has your ship. I'm more interested in your health than your ship."

"Anything about Kate?" She had talked about his son and said that Kate had been moved.

"Just that she's been moved to a different hospital. I'll have the administrator contact her hospital for an update.

"As for you, you can expect to remain with us for another twenty-four hours." She was interrupted by a nurse handing her a pad.

The doctor spent some time reading all of it. "Looks like people are interested in you. Representatives of the cruise ship you were on are coming and will arrive in five days. A representative of the S.T.A.R.S. organization will come with them. In addition a military representative will also be arriving.

"I expect you to be discharged tomorrow. As for your wife and child, we'll have to look into that. Then it'll be up to you where you want to stay while you wait for your guests. Maybe one of them can help you get home.

"You're doing well, Mr. Castle. I'm not sure what it took for you to get here, but it looks like it must have been very…entertaining." The doctor smiled widely; she was betting it was anything but.

"My guess is that you might be interested in hiring a lawyer." She was pretty sure he would want one even if he didn't know everything.


	17. Chapter 17

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 17_

Rick was finally really happy. He'd been discharged from the hospital he was in. He had gone to the hospital his son was in and picked him up. His smile was huge and his heart was sailing as Aiden clung to him like he was fearful he was going to let go of him.

Rick kept repeating his name and kissing his head as he rode to the hospital where Kate was. Getting to Kate wasn't really all that easy. His doctor hadn't been kidding that they had only just so many medical tanks. The hospital Aiden had been in was the only one on the entire planet that was set up for an infant. In fact Kate's hospital was on a totally different continent. He and his son had to fly to get to her.

Having been taken to a less capable hospital at first had slowed Kate's recovery. Since it had taken him the better part of the day just to reach her, she should be being discharged by the time he reached her.

"You ready to see Mommy?" Rick murmured to his son, not that he understood a word he was saying yet.

"I'm Richard Castle. We're here to see Katherine Castle," he told the lady at the desk.

"She's in room 611. Just follow the green lines to the elevators then up to the sixth floor." Rick dutifully followed the green lines and waited for an elevator.

Thankfully there was a sign showing which way room numbers were so he turned the correct direction. He found her door open with Kate lying on the bed, doing nothing and looking really bored, bordering on being pissed off.

"Kate, love." Rick smiled a wide smile; he was beyond happy to finally see her.

"RICK! AIDEN!" Her smile now matched Rick's and her heart soared that her family was now with her.

Even though Aiden was really young, when he heard his mother's voice it was obvious that he wanted out of Rick's arms and into his mother's.

"Aiden!" Kate cooed to him after Rick handed him off. "I really missed you." Kate peppered him with kisses which had him smiling and trying to say something but all that came out was baby babble. He was clearly happy to see his mommy.

Rick ignored being left out of being missed. He was just happy to see Kate so happy and that his son was so happy to see her.

"Do you know what's going on?" Kate was kind of in the dark. She only knew that Rick was going to show up sometime today.

"We didn't quite make it home like we had planned. There are a number of people coming to talk to us, a representative for the cruise company, S.T.A.R.S., and the military. For now I think we're stuck here." They were going to need to find a place to stay when Kate was discharged.

Kate lowered her voice. "I can't get Jill to talk to me." She was beginning to fear that Jill was broken.

"I can't reach Jack, either. I don't understand. Maybe they just need more time." It was the best Rick could think of at the moment. He looked at the watch that was still on his arm. At least it hadn't been removed.

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They had waited for Kate to be discharged. It left them with two major problems: clothes and a place to stay. Food would be next but for now they needed the first two.

With a little help from Kate's hospital they had diapers for Aiden and an address for an extended stay hotel that would have a kitchen in it. From there they might find a place to get clothes.

They were standing outside after being discharged. "I just thought of a possible problem. If this was home we wouldn't need identification. We might here." Rick didn't know much about this planet and how it worked.

They were at least totally alone for a change as they waited for transportation that the hospital was providing that was going to be a shuttle van.

Jill finally spoke. "We have taken care of that already."

"JILL! It's about time. What happened?" Kate didn't see her but she did finally hear her.

"You two have been under constant observation since we came here. To keep our existence a secret we needed to remain silent. We apologize."

"Yes, we could have just countered any conversation we had, however doing that might raise an alarm so we have been forced to remain silent. We have been very active however," Jack added.

Jill explained one of the actions that they'd taken. "The first was getting Kate's name changed from Beckett to Castle so that she would be transferred to a better hospital."

Kate groaned. Her family not being wealthy was still following her even out here. "What else?" Kate was sure there was more to it than that. "Why are we here and not home?"

"An analysis of the computers that we connected to before erasing all the programs, indicates that there were two faults that occurred, causing it to send us here instead of home. One was that your hibernation pod was running low on one of the gases to keep you and Aiden in hibernation. We are theorizing that there was a small leak that went undetected," Jill posited.

Then Jack told them the really bad news. "Another was that just as we were about to arrive at this planet the main power failed. We were actually running everything on batteries. We needed to exit FTL in a controlled manner before we were thrown out of FTL, possibly somewhere we did not want to be. It also meant our meteor shield was running on batteries. Literally everything in the ship was running on batteries."

"So we almost didn't make it here let alone home." Rick thought he got that right based on what they were saying.

"Correct. At that level of usage the batteries would not have lasted long. Certainly not long enough to make it home. This system was the closest for us to reach," Jack added.

Before either of them could ask anything else, Jill kept going. "Both of you have been officially designated as being deceased. We have already started the process of bringing you back to life, however, until each of you is officially interrogated you will stay that way. We have managed to create a bank account and move some money from what was Rick's account into it for you to live off of."

"We're dead." Kate wasn't totally surprised, their ship did blow up after all. "DAD!" They would have told her dad that she was dead.

"We have attempted to contact both of your parents. We were unable to directly reach them due to the distances. But we managed to send something to Martha Rodgers. Unfortunately Jim Beckett no longer resides at the residence that is listed for him." Jill hated to say that part but it was information they needed to know.

"What do you mean he doesn't live there? Where is he? FIND HIM!" She had lost her mother, wasn't that enough?

"We are trying but distance is a factor. We have a question for Rick, though." Jill would keep looking.

"Do you own more than one property, Rick?" Jack inquired since they had found more than one.

"No, just the one. I shared it with Mother. I wasn't that rich." He also wanted to stay that way and not waste his money.

"Well you do now. It is not in the same building. It is located in the Deere section of the same city. Number 2808," Jack said.

It didn't mean anything to Kate but it did to Rick. "The 28th floor of the Behr building. Interesting." Rick tried to think of why he owned anything there. "Mother, maybe?" She would be in control of all of his money if he was declared dead.

Rick saw the look Kate was giving him. "The Behr building is a step down from the building I lived in with Mother. It's nice and in a good area. But why would she buy it?" That didn't make any sense to him. She had his place all to herself now so why did she need another residence?

Kate shook her head then looked down when Aiden started getting fussy. He was being ignored while his mother talked. "You need a new diaper?" She checked him. "No. Hungry maybe?" She had no idea when he was last fed. "We don't have anything, babe." They had literally nothing.

"Shopping it is, just don't get mad at me if you don't like what I find for you." Rick had no idea what this planet could provide or how much money they had.

"If it's better than this it'll be an improvement. Just don't forget baby stuff." Aiden was basically naked save for his lone diaper that was miraculously still clean.

"I'll find what I can." Rick didn't even like what he was wearing.

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All three now had one whole set of clothes although Kate's bra didn't fit right so she was doing without. Aiden had a lot of diapers now along with baby powder, baby lotion, and baby shampoo. He was sleeping on cushions on the floor with more cushions for walls to hold him in place. It meant dismantling his bed for them to have something to sit on and then rebuild it each night. As for his naps during the day, he got the entire bed all to himself.

They had been there five whole days and were up to having two changes of clothing. Usually they ate out a lot even though they did have a tiny kitchenette to work with. However, they did still have one tiny issue: there was no breast pump or even bags to put the milk into. Kate had to get up each time Aiden needed something.

She was presently sitting topless, nursing Aiden, when there was a knock on their door. It had her scrambling for a baby blanket to cover herself and Aiden before Rick answered the door.

"Mr. Castle, I'm Captain Robert Holmes. I need to debrief you and your wife over what happened while you were on the cruise ship." The military had reached them first.

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Kate and Rick went over all that had happened while excluding everything dealing with Jack and Jill, though they did talk about Daphne and Robert. They were simply passengers that were trying to escape their cruise ship without knowing why it was all going to hell.

He had thanked them, declined to answer any of their questions since it was a military matter, then left.

"He was a big help," Rick commented sarcastically. He wasn't impressed. Granted if it wasn't for Jack and Jill they wouldn't have known anything at all.

"I hope they blew those pirates to hell!" They were the real reason they were in this mess. "Well I do." Kate saw the look Rick was giving her and wasn't backing down.

"Anything on my dad yet?" She was really starting to worry about him. What if he had done something really stupid after being told she was dead?

"I am really sorry, Kate. If we were there instead of here we would know more. Distance is presently the only real problem." Jill felt bad about that.

"It's not your fault, you're trying. I just hope he didn't do something stupid." Kate felt the need for some cuddling so she got up and went into the bedroom to lie down with her son for a time.

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Aiden was asleep in the bedroom while Rick and Kate were in the kitchen fixing a snack since neither of them were all that hungry when there was a knock at their door. Jack and Jill had already warned them that a ship from their planet had arrived and they were betting it held a representative of the cruise line and possibly a S.T.A.R.S. representative.

"Mr. Castle, I'm Derek Weaver and I represent the cruise line that managed the ship that you were on before its destruction. Do you and your wife have some time or should I come back a little later?" Coming back tomorrow was not an option as far as he was concerned.

"We were just putting together a snack so now is as good a time as any." Rick stepped aside and let him in.

"Mrs. Castle." Women didn't usually take the last name of the man they married but it wasn't unheard of, just not common.

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"What do you think?" Rick asked her after the cruise ship lawyer was gone. He knew she had been studying pre-law in college before going on that cruise. He always relied on the pros to do anything that was this complex.

Kate inhaled and let it out. "Refund you the cost of the cruise since we didn't get to finish it. The option of taking a single payment or going on two free cruises in a Presidential Suite on dates of our choice, provided that we don't sue them. Good for our lifetimes and non-transferable with one shore excursion of our choice per trip with free drinks onboard ship.

She boiled it down to something simple. "The big one I see is that if we accept we can't sue them for far more, provided that we win."

It was effectively three free cruises – one of which they didn't finish – free food, free drinks, and one shore excursion.

"Does each cruise come with a military escort?" Rick tried for a joke and saw Kate glare at him, ready to kill him. "Too soon?"

"You think?" Kate was ready to hit him and Rick was only saved by yet another knock on their door.

"Saved!" Rick jumped up and walked to the door.

"It's still early, babe. My legs are in great shape." She would squeeze the life out of him later.

That had Rick scrunching his shoulders; he'd forgotten about what Daphne had gotten her to start doing. She usually reserved it for squeezing his midsection but that didn't mean she couldn't squeeze his head when she had it between her legs.

Rick opened the door and found a middle-aged woman who was lovely and sexy standing in front of him. "Can I help you?" He didn't recognize her. Since he had never been on this planet before now he didn't know any locals.

She breezed past him without saying anything. "Hey!" Rick closed the door and followed her into their small space where Kate was still sitting.

They both watched her pull something out of her bag, flip it open, and set it on the kitchen countertop. It had a little blue light on it that began blinking for a short time before turning solid.

"My name is Teresa Marnie and I'm with S.T.A.R.S." Then she did something that shocked Rick and Kate completely. "Jack, Jill, priority override zeta, zeta 223, beta 24, execute."

Instantly Jack and Jill showed themselves. "What the hell?" Rick didn't like this sudden development.

"I've read the report that was generated as well as the preliminary data discovered about your ship that got you here. Our opinion is that Jack and Jill are responsible for its design," Teresa said.

"That is correct," Jill stated.

"Jill?" Kate didn't like she was answering to someone else even if she was S.T.A.R.S.

"This device will prevent anyone from trying to listen in or view this conversation. As for Jill's response, she can't prevent it. Now tell me what happened to your previous owners Daphne and Robert." She was speaking directly to Jack and Jill, ignoring Rick and Kate for now.

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Teresa was now sitting and processing everything Jack and Jill had told her as well as Rick and Kate's voices in all this. She now addressed Rick and Kate. "I read that you're a writer and you were studying pre-law in a minor college though you did have good grades."

Rick and Kate were a little worried about what was coming next and felt they had good reason. Then Aiden started crying so Kate got up to check on him.

A few minutes later she came back out with Aiden in her arms with a clean diaper.

Teresa's eyebrows raised in surprise. "This presents a new wrinkle. I didn't read anything about a child. Yours, I presume."

"I became pregnant while on the planet we were lucky enough to have landed on," Kate told her.

"When did you two get married?" She knew what the records said but she had a suspicion on when and how that came to be.

That had Rick and Kate looking at each other. So far Jack and Jill had been blabbing about everything they were asked about.

"On the planet we landed on. We know it's not officially recognized here, but they were going to leave Kate in a minor hospital and she might not have recovered from hibernation sickness if she stayed there." Rick wasn't sorry Jack and Jill had done that. They might have saved her life.

Teresa sat there and tried to think. She'd come here with basically one goal though she was beginning to think of something new. She had the authority to make it work if Rick and Kate accepted her proposal.

"Okay, here's the problem. Jack and Jill are part of S.T.A.R.S. and that must remain that way. Their existence and what I'm about to tell you is top secret. You'll spend the rest of your lives on a prison planet without your son and without Jack and Jill if you talk about any of this. Am I clear?" They needed to know she was serious.

Rick and Kate nodded solemnly. "There are only four of these units and if Jack and Jill told you differently it was because they have orders not to reveal information to people that don't have the security clearance."

That told Rick and Kate a lot right there. However, it also told Kate something else. "You're going to take them from us, aren't you? Please don't. Daphne and Robert were friends and Jack and Jill are now, too. Please!" Kate knew her life was nothing like what it used to be or was likely ever going to be. Jack and Jill were now a part of that.

"I assumed as much. It's just that Jack and Jill are a part of S.T.A.R.S. and we can't afford to lose them. Two more are under construction but they won't be completed for years. These units are terribly complex. None of you want to know what happened to the prototype or what it took to get these two units constructed after the prototype failure," Teresa revealed.

Rick and Kate sat there while Kate hugged Aiden and tried to think good thoughts.

"I have the authority to offer you two an option, the only one that will allow you to keep these units," Teresa said as Rick and Kate stopped breathing. "You two need to become members of S.T.A.R.S."

"S.T.A.R.S.?" Kate wasn't sure she was serious.

"S.T.A.R.S.!" Rick knew he didn't believe it.

"S.T.A.R.S.," Teresa nodded. It was going to be a real challenge for these two, of that she certain. But if they really wanted to keep them and were willing to put in the training it might work. They just might be another Daphne and Robert. With a child.


	18. Chapter 18

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 18_

Teresa had given them until they prepared to leave this planet to make a decision. If they didn't she would use another emergency code to have each device detach itself from their bodies and fall away. She would then collect the devices, go home, and give them to someone else. Jack and Jill were far too important and much too expensive to leave them with Rick and Kate. They had to be utilized. Either with Rick and Kate or without.

It was two days later and Rick and Kate with Aiden were scheduled to go home on yet another cruise ship. They would be traveling with Teresa who would be going home with them. The very best she could do was delay until just before they arrived. She would either leave the ship with Jack and Jill in her possession or she would have a signed contract from them to apply to join S.T.A.R.S. and begin training which would last a minimum of six months. How well they did in the initial training phase would tell all of them if Rick and Kate would be able to keep Jack and Jill.

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They were in a room almost identical to the room they had last time. This time, however, it came with a baby crib for Aiden. There were a number of differences. This time they had almost no clothing and had only just gotten two swimsuits so they could use the ship's pools.

Unpacking took only a couple of minutes and both of them were in a somber mood. Aiden was being quiet because even as young as he was, he felt it from his mother.

Aiden was on the bed behind her sleeping while Kate was sitting on the bed, waiting for Rick to come out of the bathroom. They had five days to give Teresa their decision.

"What are we going to do?" Kate asked him when he emerged from the bathroom. She was so dejected. For the first time going home didn't have quite the appeal it once had. She was also afraid of yet another attack on the cruise ship just like last time. This cruise wasn't going to be any fun. She was certain of it.

Rick sat next to her, wrapped an arm around her, and hugged her into him. Kate went to him willingly. "We need to decide what we're going to do with our lives. Go back to writing or do what we need to do to keep Jack and Jill. Are they worth it?" Rick already knew the answer for himself, but he couldn't make that choice for Kate.

"Of course they are!" she fired back indignantly. "They're friends. So were Daphne and Robert." Kate knew that much for sure.

"Then the question is do you want to go back to school and study pre-law or do you want to start training to join S.T.A.R.S.?" Rick didn't see anything but those two choices. His was either continue to be a writer or join them. Or try to join them. It was still possible that they would fail the training and lose Jack and Jill in the end.

Kate remained silent and let Rick hold her. She had some questions that only Teresa could answer. "We need to find her. I have a few questions for her." Kate knew very little about S.T.A.R.S. and what they did. The ones she knew anything about were armed and might enter combat. She wasn't sure she was capable of doing that.

Rick turned his head to look at a sleeping Aiden. "I'll go find her and have her come here. Five days is going to go fast." He kissed her head and went toward the stairs.

Kate stopped him and just looked at him. "Babe?" She wasn't sure just what to ask him or tell him.

"We'll work it out. Maybe Teresa has answers for us." He didn't know much more about S.T.A.R.S. than Kate did. He didn't have reason to learn much. Mostly he knew it was an elite unit. Not exactly military and not exactly police units but not a private firm to be hired by the ultra rich.

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His challenge had been that it was a really big cruise ship and Teresa could be anywhere on it at any time. Much like them. He knew what room she was in so he started there. He knocked a couple of times and her not answering had him worried about just where she was.

"Mr. Castle." Her voice had Rick turning his head to see her walking down the hallway toward her room and him. "What can I do for you?" She'd guessed that these two would have questions so she needed to be near her room as much as possible while still having a little fun. She was on a cruise ship, after all.

"We have a few questions about just what S.T.A.R.S. is and how you expect us to fit in." He didn't see how either of them would ever be accepted into the unit.

"Your room." Teresa spun in place and began walking to their room which was on a different level and the exact opposite end of the ship. She hadn't planned it like that. It had just worked out that way.

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"Kate. Hi there!" Teresa changed her focus to Aiden and rubbed a finger against his cheek. "You're going to grow up to be a lady killer, aren't you, little man." She didn't have any children. She had sacrificed that part of her life for her job.

"So what can I help you with?" Teresa sat down opposite of both of them. "Wait just a minute." She searched her pockets, pulled out a device, and set it on the table. The blinking blue light finally changed to a constant blue. "Okay." It was safe to speak.

Rick began the questioning. "Just what is S.T.A.R.S.? We don't see how we can help you. Neither of us know anything about combat."

Teresa had anticipated this question. Their combat units were the most known portion of what they did. "Combat is only a portion of what we do. Having said that make no mistake, you _will_ be learning combat. Though what we also do might be more to your liking. There's a more civilian division. One section is the Espionage and Counter Espionage division." She was pretty sure what these two would think of that division.

"SPIES!" Kate blurted then clapped a hand over her mouth, worrying that she'd said it too loud, forgetting about the device Teresa had activated.

Teresa just smiled. "That's one division, yes. Don't discount it so easily. You might actually like it. It has a certain appeal for some people once they understand exactly what they'll be doing. Not everyone out there likes us or they may have concerns about us and we about them."

"Be a spy." Rick actually started to like the idea. It sounded sort of exciting. "That would mean traveling to another planet, wouldn't it?" Meaning he would be away from home and not be there to watch his son grow up.

"That's one possibility. But there's also Counter Intelligence. Protect us from the spies from other areas. It would allow you to stay on this planet, meaning home. Granted, you will be asked to go to other areas of the planet on occasion." Suddenly she had a thought. "Actually, that might be perfect for you, Rick. You're a writer, you keep writing at home and use that as your cover to go to other places on the planet. Do your book signings or go there for research." It might be a perfect match.

"Writer by day and spy by night." Suddenly Rick loved it. He just had to get Kate onboard.

"Take your wife and child with you. Who would suspect you two?" Even Teresa was starting to like it. "But if you don't like that, there's another section of our unit you might like. It's the Investigation section. It's pretty much what it sounds like. We investigate. Theft of property, most of which involves intellectual property, usually businesses. Either a person, say a worker or a disgruntled worker who steals while on the job. Or perhaps it's a computer hack from offsite." Teresa paused to let them think about that.

"We also investigate murders. Of course the local police are more than capable of doing that. Even so, what if you don't want the local police involved? What if the company doesn't want the publicity. Having the police involved guarantees being in the public eye.

"Or it may be a foreign planet and a dignitary's involved somehow. Has he or she stolen something, be that a device or information. Has he or she killed someone? Naturally they don't want that to make it out into the general public," Teresa said.

Both Rick and Kate were thinking. Kate held up a finger. "Spy, counter spy, investigate theft or murder." She still had one finger left to her.

"There's also a computer division. These people design, construct, and maintain computers as well as design and maintain programs. Depending on what you decide to do you may both be intimately involved with this section. As powerful as Jack and Jill are, and believe me they _are _ powerful, they have their limits." It was why they couldn't just let Rick and Kate keep them.

It became really quiet and even Aiden was being quiet though he was mostly content to being held by his mother, smelling her, listening to her heartbeat, and hearing her voice. Even Jack and Jill were being quiet.

"May I ask what Daphne and Robert were doing?" They had been friends even if they hadn't really known them it seems. Kate didn't know if that would help her make a choice but it would help her to understand her friends.

"They were both spies. Their job was to determine if other planets, companies, or even individual people were a threat to us. They both had a knack for reading people. They would handle the people while Jack and Jill would handle any computer infiltration that was required.

"Since Robert gave you two Jack and Jill I'm guessing that he and likely Daphne read you two and made a last second choice by giving you Jack and Jill. They were both very good at knowing people after just meeting them. It's partly why you two are still in possession of them." She would or could have simply taken Jack and Jill from them and perhaps would give them back months from now, if not longer. Nonetheless Robert had willingly given them both units. That told her something.

Kate chuckled. She hadn't even thought to ask what they did. Now she was learning her two friends had been spies. "I never even suspected."

That told Teresa that for Kate, being a spy was out. If she couldn't read people someone could lie straight to her face and she would never even suspect it. "Sounds like being a spy for you is out. If you believe everything people tell you, you'll never suspect them of anything."

"I know when someone's lying to me," Kate quickly countered then she also began thinking about that. "I think… I hope." She didn't automatically think bad things about people so maybe… "Okay, so being a spy is out. I guess that leaves Investigation." She knew she couldn't just kill people so being in combat was out as well. In addition she'd never even touched a weapon let alone use what these people likely had access to.

"It sounds like you at least have some more thinking to do. Investigation is a big division. Just keep in mind that regardless of anything you choose you're going to be taught how to use a weapon. We are S.T.A.R.S., after all. You may never actually have need to even touch your weapon except to carry it or remove it, but you _will_ learn how to use it," Teresa warned both of them, especially Kate.

"What are you thinking, Rick?" Teresa inquired since he, like his son, was being silent.

"I'm with Kate, combat's out. In this case I could end up being deployed and away from home far too much. I'll never see my son grow up. He'll never know who I am when I come home." Rick hated the sound of it. And he would never see his wife.

"I hate that idea, too," Kate added easily. She loved him and her son. She didn't want to raise their son all on her own. Besides, she would have to go without sex for months at a time and she needed him close far too much.

Rick made at least one decision. "I guess that leaves Investigation for me as well."

"You two have five days to decide. I'll be back before we arrive to get your final decision if you haven't made a choice by then." Teresa got up and picked up her device. "Don't forget to have some fun for the next five days. This trip is compliments of S.T.A.R.S. save for anything you purchase. Also there's one stop, so enjoy. You know where I am if you have more questions." Teresa then decided to give them something to think about. "And yes, I _am _ presently armed and very well-trained.

"And you, little man, enjoy your trip." Teresa ruffled the wisps of hair on his head and went toward the door as she turned off her device and put it away.

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Rick and Kate just sat there after Teresa had left them with a lot to think about.

"She was armed?" Kate tried to picture just where she was hiding it. "Do I want to know where it was?" The thought of it had Kate chuckling lightly.

"It needs to be readily accessible." He shook his head. "I have no idea. The only weapons I know anything about are the ones the police use or what the military carries. I have no idea what she might have had. It does sound like we're going to find out, though." She had told them they would receive weapons training.

"I'm not sure I can kill someone," Kate stated and held Aiden just a bit tighter to her.

"Even if Aiden was at risk? Or yourself or me? Don't easily discount what you are or aren't capable of when a life is at stake." Rick knew if either of them was at risk he would kill if he had to.

"I suppose." It forced Kate to think about having to defend her own child or her husband. She was still thinking about what she was willing to do if she applied for entrance into S.T.A.R.S. when Rick was suddenly on one knee in front of her.

"This isn't how we do it, but it feels right. So will you, Katherine Houghton Beckett presently known as Katherine Houghton Castle, officially marry me? Even if they think we already are." Rick was willing to blend the two methods: Earth and home.

Kate's eyes widened, her mouth dropped open, and she felt tears starting. She'd liked their first marriage well enough, but to get married at home would be heavenly. She bent down to him to kiss him. "Of course, husband of mine. …What do you think, Aiden? Should I marry Daddy?" Kate kissed him and watched a happy Aiden smile back. "I think that's a yes." Kate kissed him again.

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They found out that babies weren't allowed in the hot tub Jacuzzis or in the main pool unless they were wearing plastic leakproof pants, something they nor the ship had available. Kate was really bummed since she loved it last time.

"I'll take him with me, maybe he'll like the exercise room while you relax," Rick offered. He took Aiden out of her arms and headed for the exercise room while Kate went up the steps to get into the hot tub. "I so need one of these at home." Kate saw smiles from other people that were in it start to spring up since they were easily agreeing.

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Kate's time in the hot tub was short-lived when Rick showed up with Aiden. "I think he's hungry," Rick informed her.

She really didn't want to get out but she had little choice. "Duty calls." She left the others, took Aiden from Rick's arms, and went to their room so she could nurse him. A quick look told her that Rick had already changed his diaper which also told her he had been back to their room to do it since they had no way to carry anything yet.

That changed when they went shopping in the ship's shops that were onboard. It was more beach bag than diaper bag but it worked.

Two days later they arrived at their one and only stop. They'd already debated on just what to do on this planet: a tour of the heritage sites followed by stopping at the old town to do some shopping or spend the day on a tour of the major beaches followed by a late night cruise that included dinner.

Kate foresaw a problem with the beach tour and cruise. "Aiden can't swim."

Rick countered her thinking. "No, but he's a baby. Maybe it'll just come naturally to him. He may not swim exactly but it's not like neither of us won't be there for him. He might like it. We can't get him into the pool so this might be his one chance on this trip."

"No shopping so no souvenirs." She was thinking she might like something to remind her of this trip. Then she thought about what had already happened and didn't really want to remember all that much about this trip. Besides they had Jack and Jill if they got to keep them.

Kate made her choice. "Beach and cruise it is," she declared which made Rick smile wide. "You've seen me naked, babe." She was betting he was smiling because it meant she would be in a bikini.

"So shoot me." Rick wasn't ashamed that he wanted to see his wife in a bikini. Plus he got to show her off to the other men. He was convinced that Kate was a real catch.

"I'd rather make love to you, but I'll get changed then we can get Aiden ready." Kate raised up to kiss him. "Just make sure to save some energy for later." They were making love tonight.

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The very first beach they reached showed them that Aiden loved water. He was smiling and wasn't swallowing water. He had his eyes wide open while he tried to reach his mother.

Kate plucked him out of the water and lifted him up. "That's my boy!" She showered kisses on him. "You ready to try again?" She slowly went underwater with him then released him and backed away.

Aiden moved his arms and was kicking his legs but wasn't really getting anywhere. He clearly had no skill for swimming but he was trying. He never really got to stay underwater all that long. Neither of them were all that sure just how long he could hold his breath so one of them would scoop him up and lift him up out of the water.

Aiden was smiling through all of it.

"Looks like we need a pool wherever we end up when we get home," Rick observed and Kate nodded.

"What do you think working for them pays." Kate had never had much money. She and her dad had always gotten by with what they did have.

"Mother has my money. Just getting back into the land of the living might take some work. I suppose we can ask her." Rick meant ask Teresa, naturally.

Jill answered that question quickly. "You leave being in the land of the living to us. It should only take a moment once we get into the system."

"As for wages we can discuss that now if you like. Teresa has a communication system and we can encrypt anything that is sent to prevent anyone from listening in. There is not really anyone near us or we can wait for a better location," Jack added. There were a few people but they were all wearing swimsuits and didn't appear to have any equipment with them.

It turned out that Teresa didn't respond so they had to wait.

"She may be down here on the planet as well," Rick surmised. "She might be here for work but that doesn't mean she can't have some fun."

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Their cruise was over and despite themselves they'd actually had some fun. "We need to give Teresa our answer," Rick reminded Kate.

"I wish we had a camera or even better a video recording. Seeing Aiden swim for the first time was a moment we're never getting back again." Kate felt a little bad about that.

"You mean this?" Jill asked and suddenly they both saw a 3D of Aiden doing just that directly over their bed.

"I didn't know you could do that!" Kate felt tears well up. The moment with her child wasn't lost after all. Both of them stood there watching it, ignoring a happy Aiden who was happy to see it as well.

"You did not ask," Jill responded.


	19. Chapter 19

**Jack and Jill III**

_Chapter 19_

Kate had really wanted Rick to come with her. She was scared. Okay, maybe that was the wrong word for what she was feeling. She was nervous. She had no idea what he'd been told or if he knew anything at all. Her biggest question was why. Why was he here and why had Martha done it?

She understood very well why Rick wanted to go see his mother. It was just that meant leaving her alone with her father. Well…not totally alone. She presently had a wide awake and rather fussy Aiden in her arms.

Was he reading what his mother was feeling? Was he fussy because he kept moving from place to place? A quick check said it wasn't his diaper so maybe he was hungry. Though he shouldn't be. They had tried to time this so she didn't have have to nurse him until Rick with Martha in tow could join her.

Having Aiden in her arms was another reason to worry about what her dad was going to say or think. She had left single without a child; now she was married with a child. So much had happened and she still had to find the nerve to talk to him about S.T.A.R.S. What both of them had known about them was just the combat version. She was sure her dad was going to freak out. Plus they had been warned not to discuss with ANYONE about Jack and Jill, and Teresa had made it clear she meant EVERYONE.

First she had to announce that she was just outside his door. She didn't even know if he was home or not. "You ready to meet Grandpa?" Kate kissed Aiden and pressed the panel.

When she got nothing she pressed it twice this time. She could just barely hear, "I'm coming, I'm coming." Great! She'd already pissed him off. Hell of a start.

Then the door opened and he just stood there staring at her as his color drained away. "Hi Dad. It's me. I'm not dead."

Kate watched him just stand there with an almost blank face. She saw the tears start. And then he croaked out her name. "Katie?" For Jim she was dead and gone. His entire family was gone. If it wasn't for Martha he would have lost it long ago. "How? …When? …Why?" He was sure he was falling apart but he couldn't stop it. What he was sure he had lost was standing right in front of him.

"Dad?" Was he going to faint right in front of her? If she wasn't carrying Aiden she would move in and wrap her arms around him and hold him up, but she was.

"Katie?" Maybe it was someone that simply looked like her.

"It's me, Daddy, I'm not dead." She was still standing outside and was watching as her dad cried and then started sniffling and wiping at his eyes and nose with his hands.

Then she found herself being crushed in his arms. That lasted about half a second when Aiden took exception to this. Jim jerked back in total surprise.

Jim hadn't even really seen the baby she was holding. He only had eyes for her. A daughter that was dead or was supposed to be dead. He'd been told she was dead. He hadn't been told she was alive.

"This is Aiden." Kate hefted him up and kissed him. "May we come in?" She was still standing outside in the hallway.

That had Jim stammering or blabbering maybe. "Of course." Jim stepped aside and let Katie with Aiden in her arms inside and closed the door behind them.

Kate got a chance to take a quick look around. This place was clearly nicer than where they used to live. It was more modern and a little bigger. It was also wide open. She could see the kitchen and even it was so much bigger than the old one.

She turned around to face her dad. "They didn't tell you." Based on his reaction they clearly hadn't and she didn't understand why. Granted they had FTL to get around, but they didn't have FTL communications. The fastest method of communications was to send a ship no matter how small or large it was.

They had spent five days on that planet and five days getting here. If there was a daily ship they surely could have sent something about them to their parents. Clearly, though, they hadn't.

"I'm sorry, Dad." Except for being mad at Teresa for this she didn't know who to be mad at for this. Then she wondered if they had told Martha and not her dad. "It's me, Daddy, it really is me."

Jim was starting to catch up but now he had a really big question. "And who is this?" He reached out to hold a tiny hand for a second.

Kate smiled widely since she loved her son something fierce. "This is Aiden, your grandson. Aiden, this is your grandfather, Mommy's daddy. A lot has happened Dad, a whole lot." She had so much to tell him.

"No kidding. You had a child." He wouldn't look at her when he asked, "So who's the father?" What had his daughter done while she was supposed to be dead?

"Rick, of course. Honestly!" she huffed in annoyance. Did he truly think she would have a baby with just anyone? "We even got married. Granted it was on a planet we knew nothing about. We crashed on it after escaping our cruise ship. It's a really big and long story," Kate warned. Giving him answers was going to take some time.

"Good thing I don't have anything scheduled for today. Do you need something to drink? Are you hungry? Have you eaten anything yet?" For a change he had a lot to offer her.

"I could use something to drink. Aiden's fine for now. Thanks." Kate looked around again, dropped her beach bag filled with stuff for Aiden, and sat down on the sofa.

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Rick wasn't really sure just what to expect. From Jack he knew that his mother wasn't at work so she should be home. Unless she was out doing something.

His building was a secure building and you had to have clearance to get in. He had it, or used to have it. His mother had it, Kate had it, and he had even given Kate's dad access. And Gina had it because he worked with her. The same for Paula.

However when he got to the pad he was denied entrance. "What the hell!" He couldn't even get into his own building to get to his own apartment.

"Try again," Jack advised and this time he was allowed access.

"What was that about?" Rick questioned as he went to the pods to reach his floor.

"You are dead, so your access had been deleted. Now that we are here Jill and I are working on making you living again so you can have access and do things. It should not take too long," Jack assured him.

Rick shook his head as he rode the pod up to his floor and then down to his apartment. "Mother had better not have redecorated too much." He knew his mother. Her taste in decor and even her clothing was…interesting and very dramatic to say the least.

Even though Jack had fixed it so he could get in he was also betting he had fixed it so he could get in his own apartment. Except he didn't want to scare his own mother. …Too much, so he chose to press the panel to announce that someone was here.

But he'd gotten used to the doors on Earth and had forgotten just what his door could do. Martha, though, had not. She simply pressed a panel on her side so she could see everything on the other side of the door.

Rick heard screaming and was all set to open the door and come to her rescue.

Martha saw her son and started screaming. Then she scrambled to get the stupid door to open and they soon found each other facing the other.

"RICHARD!" Martha couldn't be happier in her life. Her dreams, prayers, everything she could possibly think of had been tried.

"Hello…Mother." Rick whispered that last part because he was being crushed in his mother's arms. He had to admit that while his mother sometimes could be a handful, being crushed in her arms felt pretty damn good. He also heard her steely resolve falling to the wayside as she began crying. But her hold on him never wavered.

While Rick was thinking that getting out of the hallway would be a good thing, he was in no hurry to end being hugged. His own tears actually started as he hugged her back.

"I'm sorry, Mother. I'm so sorry." He was sure the pain of losing him had been tremendous.

Martha's crying had slowed and now she was mostly sniffling even after she let go of him. Then she started pounding his chest with her fists. "You were dead! **DEAD**, Richard! Don't ever do that to me again."

"I _am_ sorry, but it's a long story. I didn't plan it, it just…happened. You wouldn't believe what it took to get back here." The question was how to explain it without talking about Jack and Jill. Even his mother was never going to believe that they had enough knowledge between them to build their own spaceship and spend a year in hibernation to do it.

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Martha was finally a lot more calm, though the two glasses of wine she had already drunk didn't hurt.

"And that's about it." He wound down his story and waited.

Martha had sat there and listened to all of it. Save for when she found her glass was empty. "You married Katherine and you two have a son." That was about the only part of his tale she really cared anything about. She had a grandson and her son had finally married Katherine.

"Where are they?" She wanted to see both of them. They could talk about everything else later.

"Kate took Aiden to see her dad, so I assume she found him and that's where they are. Kate was a little surprised that he wasn't living where she had left him." Kate hadn't understood how her dad had managed to move to a building that was far more expensive than their old one.

"That would be me. Or more you, truthfully, since I used your money. You two were gone, we were both hurting and I wasn't going to let him live in that place. I originally considered letting him have my room after I moved into yours, but decided that might not look appropriate. So I bought him a place." Martha thought it was obvious.

"Oh, I also found him a new job. He actually makes a lot more money now. Enough that he could actually buy it himself, but I won't let him. He needs that money." Martha had turned down his attempts to pay her back more than once already.

"That's sweet of you, Mother." Rick loved the idea.

"You make it sound like I would never have thought of doing such a thing. Honestly, Richard." He was alive and now she was angry with him.

Rick groaned. "That's not what I meant." Rather than try and resolve this mess he decided to deflect. "Perhaps we should join Kate and her dad. I'm assuming you know the way."

"YES! Excellent idea. I want to see Katherine and this grandson of mine." Martha abandoned her glass and gathered up what she would need to take with her.

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It was a short pod ride to reach the building. She had done it numerous times. She also finally began peppering Rick with her own questions.

"So you married Katherine on this other planet. …Earth? Does that mean you're not legally married?" She meant here.

"Technically no, and before you say anything I've already asked Kate to marry me here. You haven't missed anything." Granted Jack and Jill had fixed all that and their marriage here would be more them renewing their vows, but she didn't need to know that.

"Excellent!" Martha was happy. "And on this other planet, Katherine is now Castle instead of Beckett." Martha was still trying to wrap her head around that one.

"It was the local custom so we went with it. Kate actually likes being a Castle. I'm not sure if she's going to keep it or go back to being a Beckett." Rick was betting she would keep the name but so long as she married him, he didn't care.

"Here we are," Martha said happily as she stopped at one of the numerous doors on this level.

It only took a moment for the door to open. "Martha, guess who's…" Then he saw Rick. "Home."

Martha knew Jim knew Rick so she slipped past him and went straight for Katherine who was still sitting there on the sofa with a little someone sleeping on it next to her.

"Katherine!" Martha was really happy to see her. Kate had just a second to actually stand so Martha could hug her. It lasted only as long as Martha wanted it to since she had eyes for a little someone.

Martha let go of Kate and bent down so she could get a really good look at the baby on the sofa. "So this is Aiden." What she wanted to do was pick him up and hug him tightly. But he was sleeping; she knew what it took to get a baby to sleep sometimes so she settled for lightly stroking a finger over his tiny head.

"He's lovely, Katherine! I'm so happy for you." Martha went back to hugging Kate.

Kate hadn't been hugged by a grown woman like this in a really long time. Sure Martha had hugged her before, but that was just a happy-to-see-you hug. This was something totally different. It actually had her melting into her embrace.

Then suddenly Martha let go of her. "We need to celebrate!" Martha had decided what came next. "Where's your phone." Then Martha began thinking again and as Jim had come to learn, she waved her hand at all of them. "Never mind." She simply used the one on her arm.

Now that Martha was busy it allowed Jim to actually get to say something. "I'm amazed you two managed to make it home. I'm sure it's a long and complicated story that we can talk about later." He would grill his daughter about everything when they were alone. For now he was just happy to have them home.

Jim started smiling as he watched Rick first kiss Katie and then move to Aiden who was still sleeping. "Do you two have a place to stay yet?" Based on his conversation with Katie he was thinking they had only just gotten here.

"We haven't had time for that yet, Dad." They both had wanted to see their parents first. Everything else came after that.

"We only have two sets of clothes. Except for anything that's still here." Rick hadn't brought everything on the trip, naturally, and he was betting Kate hadn't either.

"I kept everything." Jim confirmed that Katie at least had something that she could change into if she wanted to and it still fit.

Martha was back. "We have reservations at ELEVEN for seven tonight." Martha was quite pleased with herself.

"Mother!?" Rick knew that restaurant. You needed reservations just to get reservations and it wasn't cheap.

"Oh relax, Richard. It's only money. How often does my son and his wife come back to life? _With_ my grandson." Martha had spent money but this event was worth it. She would get someone to cook for her instead of eating out for a month or so if that was what it took. That or go eat where Jim had taken her at first.

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Kate made do with what she had that Jim had kept. But Rick and Martha had to go back home to change. Aiden would just go with what they had for him. Even Jim had a few new clothes thanks to his new paycheck and new position. They were going to meet at the restaurant.

Martha and Rick arrived last. "Reservations for Rodgers for five," Martha told the three young women that were up front.

They followed one of them to their table. "Wow!" Kate had never seen a restaurant that looked like this one.

The ceilings were thirty feet tall. There was real dark wood on the floor, dark wood on the table and chairs. They accented the tables with a rich orange color. They were given a round booth that had a dark wood base and black leather for cushions. Aiden was in a safety seat on one end.

They had barely settled in when their server showed up to take their drink orders. Even Aiden was actually awake and had Kate on one side and Rick on the other.

Martha ordered an appetizer for all of them while they all got time to look the menu over. Kate, though, needed a description since what the menu said wasn't a whole lot.

"We use a silicon mold to make a shell of chestnuts that's filled with more chestnuts and truffles. It's crispy on the outside, and has a mousse inside. That's one bite. We also have a sweet potato tart that's based on sweet potato pie. Then we have three different types of apples that we compress that you can then dip into a foie gras caramel and then dip into an almond-apple crumble. It's a caramel apple, with foie gras. Our fourth bite is based on game pie. It's a mixture of venison, liver, and blood sausage that we make from the venison," their server explained.

It took them about fifteen minutes to deliver the appetizer and it showed up on four different hexagon shaped wooden plates that were a very light color. The game pie was actually in cups sitting on lava rocks that were inside of the hexagon shape. Placed next to each other it was very lovely presentation.

While Rick was tending to Aiden it gave Kate a chance to look around at what other people were eating since some of what was on the menu was things she had never heard of. Then she saw something. "You cook it at the table?" she asked their server.

"Yes, ma'am. They're kabobs that are grilled right at your table, either individually or as a group. One is based on venison, same as the game pie of your appetizer, the other two are two different meats. All three use a different sauce and each uses different vegetables," she said.

Kate looked at everyone else since she'd made up her mind. Except Martha made the decision for them. "We'll take the group kabobs." Their server nodded and removed the menus.

They had to choose who got what appetizer since there were only two of the chestnuts, two of the game pie, and three of the other two items.

Rick and Kate got the chestnuts then everything else was divided up. Kate opened her eyes wide when she bit into a piece of the chestnut. It looked like a real chestnut and even had a hard shell. The middle was really soft and the whole thing was delicious. It left her wishing there were more than two.

Thirty minutes later a man with a table came out and began cooking their kabobs right there on his table that was next to Aiden who only had eyes for what the man was doing. Partly because what he was doing was completely new, and partly because he could smell it and hear it.

Thankfully his arms were nowhere near long enough to reach it or he was going to find out what being burnt felt like.

While he was serving, their server arrived to take new drink orders. "Did everyone leave room for desert?" their server inquired. Only Jim and Rick took her up on her offer.

Rick chose honey brittle, shortbread, milk meringue, sea salt, and buckwheat honey. Jim took the chocolate soft serve, chocolate cookie crumble, and salted caramel.

Naturally Martha got a spoonful of Jim's while Kate got a spoonful of Rick's. That was all she got since Aiden was unhappy; he wasn't getting anything and he wasn't in his mother's arms.

Kate got up to take Aiden out of his chair while Rick fished out the blanket that Kate would use to hide it all under. So long as no one was watching they wouldn't see a thing. They would just have to use their imagination on what was happening under that blanket.

Martha took the bill and wouldn't let anyone see it. Martha was already thinking up new things to celebrate with since her son, Katherine and her grandson were now home.

No one was even thinking of Gina or Paula or anyone else tonight.


	20. Chapter 20

**Jack and Jill III**

_**Chapter 20**_

_Epilogue_

It had been an amazing year in their lives, something neither of them had ever dreamed would come to pass. Right now Kate was putting up all the information they had on the board so at least she could actually see it. Everything had been scanned or was coming from a computer and placed on the video board.

Rick sat back and took in everything she was adding. The time line was at the bottom and what Kate was putting up was all based off of that timeline. Problem was he saw a hole that needed to be filled.

"Javi, where is that data on the warehouse?" Rick yelled.

"It just arrived, sending it to Kate," Esposito called back. When it came to Rick and Kate everyone had started calling them by their last names. However, that presented a problem since Kate had kept Rick's last name even after getting married locally. So when someone called out for Castle they always got both of them if both were around. Now everyone on their team had switched to first names.

That had Kate putting up what Espo had just sent before continuing with the rest of it.

"I still like him," Rick told Kate after she'd finished. Rick had his idea of who it was but Kate, they'd all learned, wasn't willing to make that kind of leap. She needed solid facts. Something that would hold up in court.

"Facts, baby, facts, not speculation," Kate admonished her husband. "But yeah, I like him for it too." Rick was starting to rub off on her.

A new voice rang out. "Castles, how are we coming?" This was a very sensitive case. The girl that was dead was popular, well known, and very well connected. It was the perfect case for S.T.A.R.S. and it was the perfect case for Kate and Rick because they had Jack and Jill.

"Hi, Teresa." Teresa was still trying to get used to being called by her first name. But this team was how they did it now and so far it was working. She didn't dare damage that bond.

"I still like him." Rick pointed to his picture and never actually got up from where he was sitting.

"And why is that?" Teresa was just starting to get used to these two. She had requested to be reassigned to this section because of Rick and Kate since they had Jack and Jill. Her request had been granted and she had only been there for just over a week.

Teresa waved a hand at him. "Let me guess, it's the way you would have written it." She still wasn't comfortable with how Rick did it, but he had proven that he had a skill. His background in writing gave him an insight others didn't have.

"It's perfect. He wined and dined her. Used his standing to get her to like him. He asked her to marry him and she said yes. Her parents thought it was perfect. Perfect for them and maybe for her, but mostly for them.

"It was just that neither of them suspected her sister, their older daughter. She saw something else and paid for that with her life. His position and his money says he didn't do anything. But he's perfect for it," Rick asserted.

"What have we got?" Teresa needed to see it before she would allow them to create an incident that would put S.T.A.R.S. in the crosshairs. It was something they had done countless times before and would continue to do for as long as they existed.

Kate proceeded to walk her through it all, using what she had on her board. Teresa stood back next to Rick looking over the entire board while Kate was standing right in front of her board.

"I like him, where is he?" Teresa was sold.

"That's the problem, we don't know." Kate turned to look at her board again. It was one of the pieces they didn't have yet. Then she saw a blinking light. That was her signal that had her touching the board to open a new window.

All three of them watched as information was typed into it. "He just left a private space port and is headed for orbit in a shuttle." Kate broke down what Jill was typing into that window.

They were in a public area so neither Jack nor Jill could show themselves or risk talking. They could, though, access any computer in the building or the entire planet for that matter.

It only took Teresa the blink of an eye. "You two, suit up, take a lighting off the roof and intercept him before he docks with something. Force him down any way you have to. I want to talk with him."

"On it." Rick jumped up and headed for the central section of the building they were in.

Their building was unique. In the very center was a massive aquarium that was 60 feet in diameter and three floors tall. It was filled with hundreds of all kinds of fish. Above it at around the diameter of the tank were a set of lights that shown straight down and made the tank glow. Inside wasn't just fish. There was wood, rocks and all kinds of natural things for fish to make a home in. Including coral that was still growing little by little. It was the showpiece of the building and it was the only aquarium like it on the planet.

Around the tank was glass walled pods as well as a glass open stairwell. Since they were on the third floor they raced up the stairs and into a changing room. It was there that they both stripped and quickly got into a combat suit, grabbed a helmet, and then ran out the door.

There were a number of lightning ships sitting on the roof just waiting for them. It was a two man vessel. It had little canards on the front and a pair of larger canards at the back on top and the bottom. The central end held the engines. They sat under a canopy far forward just above the front canards. They sat front to back. Rick was the pilot and sat up front. Kate was the engineer and weapons; she sat behind him and just a touch higher.

During training they had learned that Rick was more intuitive and willing to take risks and he was a little quicker at making decisions. Kate was more analytical and better with choosing what weapon to use and what target to shoot for.

Their suits were a mix of silver and black in color. With their helmets they could survive out in space for hours if they were forced to eject. It also gave them a way to attach their hand weapon. In this case they used a common S.T.A.R.S. hand weapon. Normally they would use a baton that was more capable of doing a variety of things instead of just blasting something or someone and they both liked using it better. Except out in space the common weapon was better.

"Power coming up, ten seconds," Kate said while Rick went through his check list. If this ship had a fault they might have time to jump into a different ship but that was not likely.

"All green," Rick reported.

"We're cleared for launch. Use the route Jill's sending for intercept." That was one more thing they had on their side. As fast as Rick was, Jack and Jill were faster. What they had learned was that as fast and powerful Jack and Jill were, they didn't have the intuition that Rick and Kate had. They had a personality, yes, but they were still computers and just didn't think that far outside of the box.

"Hold onto your ass." Rick grinned, lifted up off the roof, then fired the rear engines and shot across the sky, rocketing for space. Neither of them felt a thing thanks to the stabilizers. Gravity during this trip was kept at normal no matter what Rick did.

"I have the target. Two minutes to intercept at this speed," Kate said. "Uh-oh, better step on it, babe. I think that big ship's his target. He makes it aboard that ship and we'll lose him." That ship was more than their little ship could handle. If he got onboard he still wasn't totally safe. The combat version of S.T.A.R.S. could stop this ship. But that presented a whole other set of challenges and an even bigger diplomatic challenge.

"Increasing power and adjusting course," Rick told Kate as he kicked it in the ass and jumped forward even faster.

Then both of them saw something neither of them liked. "BABE!?" Kate immediately powered up the weapon systems.

"I see them. Can you take out his engines from here then we can deal with his friends," Rick questioned and got ready to make a major course change. Those two fighters headed their way now had most of their attention.

Kate had him and fired. "I clipped him, that should force him to shut down his engines or force them to explode and take him with them." Kate watched as Rick drastically changed course. It gave her a perfect firing solution on one of them so she fired and watched it disappear from her screen.

"One down, babe." Kate watched as Rick was doing something she thought was stupid. "RICK!?" He was going head on with the other guy. Their ship was good but if they took a good hit they were both dead unless Rick was thinking of having them eject.

"Just stand by," Rick said. Kate grumbled. He was giving them a chance to get a shot at them if he kept this up. Then suddenly they shot out into space and showed him their ass.

That had Kate smiling since he was taking the bait and was on their ass. She now understood what Rick was doing. Most fighters didn't have a weapon out the ass of their ship. Theirs did, though, so Kate lined him up and fired. "All clear, let's go collect our prize." She was pleased.

_**+o+ +x+ +o+ +x+ +o+ [X] +o+ +x+ +o+ +x+ +o+**_

Interrogating wasn't part of their job, however, Teresa was satisfied. "Nice work, boss." Espo was happy with Rick and Kate, too. They'd gotten their man and he was going to sing, of that he was certain.

"Anything yet?" Kate inquired when Teresa entered the same room that her board was in while Rick was just sitting next to Espo talking.

"No, but we did find something in his shuttle. I need you two to access it and find out what's in it." Teresa seemed to be talking to Kate and Rick. In reality she was actually talking to Jack and Jill and those two knew it; they instantly got to work on cracking the encryption that was on it.

Teresa changed topics since Kate and Rick didn't have anything to do for now. "How's Aiden?"

That had Kate smiling wide. "He's gained a lot of weight, grown an entire nine and a half inches since he was born, and his head is almost bigger than the rest of him." Kate chuckled; he looked so very different.

"He's not walking on his own yet, but he will walk a little if you let him hold your fingers and give him some support," Rick added and was thinking that they might actually miss seeing his first walking on his own since they might be at work.

"We started a little more solid food yesterday and it went relatively well," Kate commented since he had liked one thing and had spat the other out. "He can almost help feed himself. And he's learned that he can throw his food. Especially if he doesn't like it." Kate hadn't liked that. Rick began laughing as he remembered where one of those throws had landed.

"Not funny, babe. Dad took it right in the eye." Kate had been worried since Jim had flushed his eye twice and they almost took him to the hospital.

"If memory serves his birthday is in two days." Teresa wanted to be sure since they both were there.

"Yep, he'll be a year old in two days. You and Javi should have an invitation already." They had sent out invitations to those that were close to them. "Bring a date if you want." Kate had been trying to do a little matchmaking for Teresa, but so far it had been one big failure.

"We're already looking forward to it. I left the birthday present selection to Jayne, though," Espo said. What did he know about birthday presents for one year olds even if it was a boy?

"I'll be there. I'm looking forward to seeing this new apartment of yours." Teresa knew they had moved since she'd read their records as part of her new job. Even if they had been in it for almost six months.

"It's great!" Kate loved her new home. It was partly why she wanted to escape Earth and get home. Yes it had cost a lot. It took a great deal of their combined money and it had been scary. Especially after Rick had found out just how much of his money still remained. Martha wasn't any good at living on a budget. She had almost spent it all. That welcome home dinner had really done a number on what was left at the time.

It had forced Rick and Kate to move into his apartment with Martha, sell the place she'd bought for Jim and have him move in with them. Those first six months while Rick and Kate did their training had been very difficult. It was only a two bedroom apartment. Aiden was with them in the master suite while Jim had the other bedroom. Martha was the one who got the sleeper sofa to reinforce the need to be wise about how she spent money. They'd lived off of the money they had gotten from the sale of the place Jim was living in.

Now almost a year later they were in a large, brand new, state of the art, four bedroom apartment. Working for S.T.A.R.S. in the Investigation unit actually paid pretty well. Rick and Kate were quite sure they got better pay than most because of Jack and Jill, but those two earned their pay.

"I'm cooking so bring your appetites," Kate said to both of them.

"I'll be sure to bring the antacids," Espo teased as Kate stuck her tongue out at him for that. She thought she was a pretty good cook.

"For your information Aiden is going to be a great chef. He'll own his own restaurant and create whole new food ideas for us to ooh and ah over." She was going to teach him everything she knew.

Rick, though, was shaking his head. "With his growth spurts he's going to be a sports star and earn big money."

"I'm sure he'll be great, he's got you two." Teresa was also sure Jack and Jill were going to do all they could for him. "Your job is done. He'll tell us why he killed his son's girlfriend's sister and his planet will strip him of his diplomatic status and let us imprison him for a nice long time. I'll see you three tomorrow. Go home." Teresa left them and headed to her office that had a perfect view of the massive aquarium in the middle of the building. Rank had its privileges.

_**+o+ +x+ +o+ +x+ +o+ [X] +o+ +x+ +o+ +x+ +o+**_

It had been a somewhat tiring day while also a little exciting. After opening the door they saw that someone had changed the wall again. Kate had been a bit skeptical about this place and just what this wall could do. However, she was really starting to like the wall.

The wall in question took up one entire wall of their large and living room that was open to the dining room and open to the kitchen. It was basically a series of panels that could be used to put a picture of almost anything on the wall. There were actually presently 213 different pictures to choose from. Several were compliments of either Jack or Jill or both.

This one was a grassy glen with massive trees along one side. The wall literally brought the outdoors indoors without having to actually open any glass doors to go out onto a patio. Which was a good thing since they didn't have either of those. They made good money, but it wasn't that good.

Still their place had one other additional feature that still got to Kate a little each time she used it. All of the bedrooms were on the second floor and to reach that floor you needed to go up the stairs. But these weren't an ordinary set of stairs. No, these stairs had glass treads for you to step on. They went well with the glass risers. Though maybe glass was the wrong word. They were the same panels as the wall was. Meaning you could change what the stairs you walked on looked like.

While that wasn't necessarily a bad thing, these panels could actually show a movie of sorts. What had Kate cringing the first time was that someone had figured out what they could do and they'd chosen a waterfall flowing down a rocky creek. It made it look like you were stepping on water and rocks and going up a creek to get to the second floor.

Of course it also meant you could be walking on blowing sand in the middle of a desert. Or walking on air and clouds as the clouds blew across the sky. Thankfully the list of things for the stairs was smaller than the wall's.

"Hi, Dad." Kate saw him walking out of the kitchen with a snack, going to the living room possibly to watch something.

"So how was your day today?" Jim wasn't totally comfortable with either of them being members of S.T.A.R.S. Yes, he knew they weren't in the combat section of the unit but that didn't mean what they did was safe.

"We got our guy." Kate was pleased about that. It had taken them almost three days to gather all the information they had and interview various people including their suspect.

"That's good, I'm happy for you." Jim was glad they were home safe and had accomplished their task.

"Thanks to my wonderful piloting skills." Rick patted himself on the back, metaphorically speaking.

"Don't listen to him. I was sure he was trying to get us both killed." His choice of maneuvers was not what Kate would have chosen if she was the pilot.

"Take that back," Rick growled. He thought what he had done was why they were both still alive.

"No! …Where's Aiden?" Kate felt the need to hug her son.

"In his room or in Martha's room being spoiled rotten." Even Jim wasn't sure what Martha was doing to him was spoiling him or scarring him for life. Still she loved her grandson something fierce but her idea of spoiling him wasn't Jim's.

"I'll go rescue him." Kate wasn't sure just what Martha was doing to him, either. He was a boy and needed to be treated like one and not be dressed in the questionable outfits Martha found for him to wear. Their son didn't need to glow in the dark.

Kate paused at the stairs. The waterfall was back and she needed to set her mind to walking up the stairs knowing that they were just steps. Unfortunately to set them to something else was at the top of the stairs. There wasn't another control at the bottom. "Bad planning," she muttered as she started up the stairs.

Kate found Martha sitting in the rocker while Aiden was sleeping in his bed. "He's been a good boy all day," Martha whispered so as not to accidentally wake him. "He actually ate something." Martha was proud of him.

Kate didn't question what Martha was feeding him. She had the list of acceptable foods and she had raised Rick all on her own. He had turned out fine. Kate simply looked him over and ran a hand through his hair.

"Anything happen today?" Martha worried about their choice of employment just like Jim did.

"Nothing exciting. We got our guy, though. Now it's up to the judicial system since he's a diplomat. Teresa's hopeful that his home planet will release him so we'll see." It was out of their hands and Kate wasn't going to worry too much about it.

_**+o+ +x+ +o+ +x+ +o+ [X] +o+ +x+ +o+ +x+ +o+**_

Kate needed to change since she had a date tonight. She was going to see her again in a couple of days for Aiden's birthday but Lanie had wanted a girls' night out so they could talk.

Kate retreated to their room so she could change. She chose a simple pant suit since like in her early days when she didn't have that much money, Lanie didn't either, just yet. While Kate considered herself lucky to be where she was, Lanie was doing it the hard way and being in medical was definitely doing it the hard way. Lanie was actually in her first year of residency and barely had time to work, breathe, eat, and sleep. She was off tonight and with a little finagling, begging, and agreeing to go on a date with him she had Aiden's birthday off as well.

The bar and grill they were going to wasn't the very best since they were all still watching their money tightly. Even Martha was given an allowance as was her dad. It grated on Martha that she couldn't do what she wanted, but she'd almost spent every penny Rick had before the cruise and they didn't need her repeating that. Still it was a nice place.

Kate heard the door and hurried to reach it, seeing who was on the other side before even opening it. "Lanie!" Kate beamed. Lanie had been her very best friend since she was really little. They told each other almost everything. Having said that, she still didn't know anything about Jack or Jill. It was just the way it had to be.

"Girlfriend!" Lanie wasted no time in hugging her. "Tonight is going to be epic!" Lanie had news and it was good news. The best news she could have ever hoped for.

Kate looked at her. "Okay I'll bite. Why is tonight epic?" They had gone out together other times since they had gotten back from Earth.

"I put in a request for a very special job and right after Aiden's birthday I have an interview for it! You'll never guess. Not in a million quadrillion years." Actually knowing Kate she probably already did. She was in S.T.A.R.S. after all.

Jill hadn't said anything to her about it so it must be really new, so new that Jill hadn't had the chance to tell her. "So hit me with it."

"I put in a request to be a part of an observation team. They needed a medical person so I applied. If I'm accepted – but there's no guarantee that I will be – I'll get to go with the team to your Earth. I get to see what you saw. I won't know where we'll be until I'm accepted but I might be close to where you were, and you wouldn't believe the pay that's being offered." Lanie was ready to die just over that.

Her chosen profession would guarantee that she and anyone else in her family, except her mother with whom she was still at war, might be able to get out of where they were now.

"EARTH! You're going to Earth?" Kate wasn't sure what she thought about that. It meant her best friend was going to be moving away. But it sounded like this offer was just what she had been dreaming about for a long time.

"You don't sound happy." Lanie was sure Kate would scream with joy.

"No, I am, it sounds amazing. It just means you're going to go away." She was going to lose her best friend.

"It's a three year agreement. We land and observe everything about Earth, generate a report and send it back using something I know nothing about. They need a medical person for the team and to research the locals. Find out just what is so different about us. The part that might get me rejected is I'm not that knowledgeable about planetary viruses. Stuff that we don't have any immunity to or can't cure if it infects any of us. But who knows." Lanie shrugged. She saw it as her one big weakness for this job.

"I'm sure they'll overlook that part. Rick and I survived being there so it can't be that bad." She didn't know for sure but they had survived. "So what does it pay?" Maybe this would change her mind about losing her best friend for three years.

Lanie leaned in close and whispered. Kate squealed and hugged Lanie. Then they danced around together. It was money, a lot of money. More money than Lanie was likely to ever make in her entire lifetime if her medical job didn't come through.

"What are we celebrating?" Rick responded to the squealing and dancing.

"I'll tell you later, babe. Lanie and I have to go celebrate. I have so very much to tell you, Lanie." Kate was going to tell her absolutely everything she knew about Earth and just where they should set up shop. What to eat, what to expect, and then later she would find out from Jill how she could stay in touch even if she was light years away.

Kate stopped them just as they began to exit their building on their way to the bar and grill. "Wait! You said a three year deployment."

"Yes." Lanie didn't see what Kate was concerned about. She had been happy for her.

"One year in FTL just to get there, three years there, and one year back. That's five fucking years, Lanie!" Kate suddenly wasn't so sure about this job offer.

Lanie made a face and hoped Kate didn't shoot her since she knew Kate was always armed these days. "That's the bad news." Lanie had been holding off on telling her that part.

"Five whole fucking years." Kate's excitement for her friend had fizzled away, leaving her somewhat upset. "You'd better be going with a military escort." She didn't want what happened to them happen to Lanie. "And that better be one hell of a ship if you're going to be in it for a whole year just to get there." One more thing to drill Jill over when she got a chance.

"Earth." Kate shook her head. The Universe was getting smaller and smaller all the time. "Come on, we're getting drunk tonight. We have to get shit-faced, falling down drunk since we won't get to do this again for five years." Kate took hold of her arm and headed for the first pod that would get them there.

"Maybe you'll come back married and either pregnant or with a child." Kate held up her wedding rings from Earth and remembered those days.


End file.
